A Time In The Past
by HOPS
Summary: (I LIVE!) What the heck is happening to me? I'm in Brooklyn one minute, then Brooklyn the next. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. From 2004 to 1900, what's a girl to do?
1. Hello, Spot

Chapter one~  
  
I had just finished ordering my food at this old style dinner when I felt it. A hard pinch on the left side of my ass. I turned around and slapped the dude. Hard across his face.  
  
"Hey sweet cheeks," he said, not referring to my face. " I'se was just flirtin' witchya."  
  
"Cute, a New York accent," I said, thinking, what a great way to start off my stay in the city. "Guess what, I'se can do dat too. Go screw yoiself." I really hoped that made sense.  
  
I started to walk away, towards an empty table, but he put his arm around me and said, "Why don't you'se come sits wit us?"  
  
"I'm outta here," I said, shrugging him off me. I pushed my way through the door. I was sure he hadn't followed me, but.  
  
"Eh, wassa goil like you'se doin in a place like dis?" God, do these Brooklyn boys EVER give up.  
  
"I thought I told you to leav me the." I never finished my sentence. That wasn't the black haired greacer from the dinner, what was it called? Tibby's? Whatever.  
  
The street was different. The road wasn't paved, just dirt. The Tibby's sign wasn't the tacky light up thing anymore, either. The dirty- blonde haired boy wasn't wearing normal cloths either. He had red suspenders on top of what looked like burlap pants. His shirt was dusty orange and the top three buttons were undone. OMG, how sexy! I was about to question his odd outfit when I chanced to look at what I was wearing. Let's just say it wasn't the jeans and T-shirt I'd been wearing 30 seconds ago. A dress.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" I asked as he slowly walked closer to me.  
  
"You'se aint from around here, is you?" I was picking up on a slight Irish undertone. When he stepped into the disc of light from a street lamp I noticed the shocking blue of his eyes. "Hey, you gots a place to stay?"  
  
I thought, judging by the fact that something very odd was going on here, I figured, "No."  
  
"I'se Spot Conlan. And might I ask what you'se name is?" He said as he got close enough to take my hand and kiss it.  
  
"Mandy, but my friends call me Hops."  
  
"O.K. Hops, since you'se aint got no place to stay, how bout stayin' at my place. Jus' fer tonight, though."  
  
"I said me friends call me Hops, and that depends, where's your place?" That was odd, last I checked, I have no accent.  
  
"I'se lives in a newsies lodging house, not too far from heh. Gots me own room and all."  
  
"You aint hintin' at nothin', are you'se?"  
  
"Not a chance, 'less you wants me to be." He seems nice enough, safer than the streets, I s'pose.  
  
"Sure, Jus' don' try nothing," Is it jus' me, or is my accent thickening?  
  
So, as the day got weirder, I was going home with a hot 19th century newsie. We walked a few blocks.  
  
"So, you'se think you might get up early in the mornin' and sell some papes wit me?" Spot asked as we went to the stairs.  
  
"I'll decide that in the mornin', jus' wake me up when you get up."  
  
We got to his room and he immediately took off hiss suspenders, then his shirt. I noticed that he made no move to get out extra blankets. He got into his bed and motioned me in.  
  
"You getting' in da bed, or plannen to sleep on da floor?"  
  
"You'se said you'se not gonna try nothin', keep your promise, gottit?"  
  
"Sure, sweetie." Spot said, with a slight air of annoyance. He rolled over and I got in putting my back to his. I slipped easily into sleep.  
  
When I woke up the next morning, I was in an empty room, on a rusty cot. No Spot. No dress, just jeans and a T-shirt. ______________________________~~~~~~_____________________________  
  
This aint over yet. Please review. This is my first fan-fiction, so I hope you like it. Look on the bright side, it can't get worse, can it? 


	2. Hi, Ink

Chapter two:  
  
"Spot?" I called out to the empty lodging house. No answer. I got up and went into the small washroom. It consisted of a toilet and a very rusty sink. After splashing some water on my face and smoothing my hair down to the best of my abilities, I walked back into the room.  
  
~GASP~ There was Spot, standing in the middle of the room. In a towel. And nothing else.  
  
"Gee, I'se was wonderin' where's you'd gone off to," He said, not phased by his near nakedness. Oh my God! I thought. I turned and went into the main room of the LH.  
  
Bad move. Very bad move. Thirty-some guys that looked to be 10 to 17 years old were running around in towels and long johns. I squeaked and turned, reflexively trying to go back into Spot's room. I stopped myself just in time. Shit! I thought to myself, what am I s'posed to do? Face thirty near nude guys out hear, or one super sexy nude guy in there? I had three options. 1) Stay where I was and not look up. 2)Go back through the door to Spot's shirtless-nes. Or 3) Push my way through the crowds to the exit.  
  
"Hey, who's you?" Question answered. Stay and answer to this guy.  
  
"Um." Dammit, is it so hard to say your own name?  
  
"Dis here's Mandy," Spot said stepping through his door. He leaned closer to whisper in my ear, "Thought you might be a bit shocked comin' out here an' seein' all these bois getin' ready fer woik, I'se mean, judgin' by da look on you'se face an' all after you seen me."  
  
I blushed ferociously. "I'se sorry, I'm jus' a wee bit exitable in da mornin'," I said, still trying to work out why I was here and where the accent had come from.  
  
"Dat's OK sweetheart, most goils are after they'se spent the night with Spot," the unknown newsboy said suggestively, with a grin. I looked up at him only to look away from his terrifying black eyes. I don't mean bruise, but the color of his eyes was black. Is that humanly possible?  
  
"Dis fella here's Ink," Spot said. I can see where he got the newsie name. "Mandy aint gots no place ta stay, sos she stayin' here for a few days."  
  
"Two questions, is she you's, and is she gon' be a newsie fer ya?" Ink said. He gave me this look when he asked if I were taken that suddenly made me nervous. I was used to getting "looks." I was, how should I put this? Well built with a nice face. My eyes change color with my mood, so I'd assume the were purplish at the moment. I have relatively strait dirty blonde hair with thick strips of all the natural colors of hair from platinum to black. But Ink made me more nervous than normal.  
  
Ink was just barely taller than me, probly about five-two/three. Around fourteen, I'd say. He was Hispanic, definantly, with a slim build and darkish skin.  
  
"That's all up ta her, she gots a mid o her own," Spot said giving me the same look as Ink had without the same effect. "I'd like ya to be, though."  
  
My eyes shot up to meet his. No one had ever asked me to be his girl before. Thirteen and still dateless. Yes, I got the looks left and right, but never had a guy done more. He looked at me pleadingly, and I glanced over at Ink who had started to walk away with a slumped over effect that meant, "Damn, he got another one."  
  
I pulled him back into his room to talk to him. "Spot, I donno what to say. I-uh-well, I like ya an' all, but I jus' don' think I knows ya well enough, yet." He looked crushed, I felt guilty. I really did like him, I just wasn't sure about him, not yet anyways.  
  
"Well, if dat's how you feels, then can't argue wit dat." He started to walk away, but stopped. "How bout a date, you knows, to get to know each others better."  
  
"Sure," I said automatically. I just don't know when we would do it, considering the fact that I have a tendancy of jumping through time uncontrollably.  
  
"Common, let's go git some papes, I'll show you'se da ropes." And with that, we left.  
We got our papers from a stall down a short alley. After that, Spot took of down some dirty alleys walking so fast I had to run to keep up. I really wish that he knew about my incessant fear of dark alleys.  
  
"So, you'se eva sold papes before?" Spot asked slowing down.  
  
"No, but I have a general idea on what to do." I replied. I watched that movie, Newsies. Wait, wasn't there a Spot Conlan in that movie? Oh well. Suddenly it was quiet. "Spot? Where are you?" Oh no! My accent, it's gone.  
  
Something crunched behind me. I spun to see half-a-dozen skinheads walking toward me. I was back in my jeans. "O shit!" I said and I started to run.  
  
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Yes, I said it couldn't get worse. The with the time-travel thing will be explained in the next couple of chapters. For people that know me in person, the main character is NOT based on me. Please review. And by the way, thank you Shorty Carter and Racetrack The Hottie (of course I know who you are). 


	3. Look, i's Jack

Chapter three:  
  
Running. Why does this feel so familiar? 'There was that time back in Manhattan,' Bu I've never BEEN in Manhattan before! I lost my train of thought as I tripped over my now old-fashioned boots.  
  
Back in the 19th century! Very nice. No more skinheads, right? Well, sort of. Instead of a bunch of thugs, just two boys walking toward me with chains. 'Da Delancy Brudahs,' the thought popped into my head. Oh God, another "Newsies" moment.  
  
No time to think about that. 'Get up! GO!' Wait, if I'm back in the past, I have Spot. Now where is he?  
  
"Hey! Wha'd she eva' do ta you'se?" Oh God, thank you! Now I have my Spot and he can take care of those, what did I call them? The Delancy Brudahs? "GO!"  
  
So I stood up and went. I bumped into a guy, a bit taller than me.  
  
"Shit!" I turned and attempted to go in the other direction, but the guy grabbed my wrist. "What da hell! Lemme-" At that point, I glanced up at his face. He was gorgeous! "Jack? Jack Kelly?" I don't know this person, but I do. Wait! ANOTHER 'Newsies" moment?  
  
"Ya, how do you'se know me?" The boy with the red Bandanna said. "I don't think we's met before."  
  
"Um." Think, think fast! "I've seen you'se around Manhattan. Hoid da oda newsies callin' your name." Very nice.  
  
"OK, I can believe that. So you knows me, who's you?" His accent is far thinner than Spot's and Ink's, must have something to do with the area of New York they come from.  
  
"Mandy, friends call me Hops. Spot's in trouble, can ya help 'im?" I said in one breath.  
  
"How's it that you knows Spot?" He asked, going completely off subject.  
  
"I'd neva be able ta explain it to ya. Can you go help im'? It's da Delancy Brudahs, dey got chains!"  
  
"I gots a bone ta pick wit does two," he said, releasing my wrist and heading off down the alley. I fallowed closely behind. I may not be the best street fighter, but I've had to defend myself once or twice.  
  
One of the brothers threw a punch and connected with Spots jaw. Hard. He was out before he hit the ground. OK, I know where brother #1 is, the short one, but where's #2? Just then I found out.  
  
Jack was already duking it out with B#1 (brother #1) and B#2 came up behind me, unseen. He grabbed me around my waist and had me off the ground before I knew what was happening. 'Damn shortness' I thought. OK, try and remember self defense classes. Head butt! That'll do the trick.  
  
I made like I was gonna scream, so B#2 would try to cover my mouth. I used the force of his hand to drive my head into his nose.  
  
CRACK  
  
Yet another thing I've never done before. I broke his nose. He dropped me right as B#1 hit Jack with the chain.  
  
"Lit's git outsa herrr!" he said, his words slurred from pain and injury. "We out mashed!" With that, he took off running. Only then did I look around to see several of the guys from the LH standing around, a few with clubs and various other weapons.  
  
They split pretty evenly to tend to the unconscious Spot and bloody Jack. Only one of them went to neither.  
  
"Mandy, are you'se OK?" Ink said coming over and hugging me in a very comforting way. He shuddered when he felt the blood that had drenched my back. He held me out at an arm's length. 'God he's sexy!'  
  
"I'se fine," I said. He gave me this disbelieving look and I remembered the blood. "I broke 'is nose when 'e grabbed me, I's fine. Really."  
  
"We'd betta git you'se cleaned up. Nobody wants ta buy from a bloody newsie." He said and we started walking back to the LH. We were way behind the others who were helping Spot and Jack. I felt really bad. If I'd stayed back instead of running away, I could have helped out.  
  
Once back at the LH, we went to an empty room that was much like Spot's. 'I can only guess what they use this room for' I thought idly.  
  
Ink left the room for a minute and returned with some clean cloths. Boy's cloths, but clean ones.  
  
"I'se hope this stuff fits," he said, handing me the blue button up shirt and pants with suspenders. "We's about the same size, most ways, at least." He said, most likely referring to my not-so-flat chest.  
  
"They should be fine," I said and he started to leave the room. "Wait. Could you'se help me with dese buttons?" I said, pointing at my back.  
  
"Sure," he said, re-closing the door and coming back over to where I was standing. I turned around to give him access to the buttoned down my back. "Where's you from?" he said after undoing the first button, with a bit too much skill.  
  
"You'd neva' undastand, trust me," I said as he undid the next three.  
  
He turned me around to face him.  
  
"I'm a lot more undastandin' than you'd think," he said. He leaned in and kissed me.  
  
The moment seemed so right. I didn't even notice the fact that his accent had left him in that last sentence.  
  
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Ooooooooo, spooky. I have great plans for this story, but telling you would be cheating, wouldn't it? Again I'd like to thank my adoring fans, how ever few there may be. I'd like to see what all of you people see planned for the next chapters (translation: an I making my plans THAT obvious?) Please review, I really do want to know what the public thinks of my twisty story. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, predictions, anything. Thanks again to Shorty Carter and Race Da Hottie, I luv u all! 


	4. OMG!

Chapter 4:  
  
I pulled away from him. I looked into his deep eyes, and then what he said hit me. Not so much what he said, how he said it.  
  
"What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked in the confusion of the broken moment. Suspicion confirmed.  
  
"Your Accent!" I screamed in horror. It can't be.  
  
"What?" Ink said.  
  
"Oh SHIT! It can't be, this can't be happening! Why?" Ink just stared at me, looking crushed. "Oh NO, no no. It isn't you, really. Just look around, tell me what you see." I looked around at the dusty, empty room. No rusty cot like in Spot's.  
  
"Oh my God!" He said, FINALLY coming to the realization of what happened. "What are you wearing? What am I wearing?" he practically screamed. Obviously this newsboy didn't like the denim look. He was in what looked like beat-up old blue jean cargo shorts and a large T-shirt that said "I've gone to find myself. If I return before I get back, keep me here"  
  
"I am SO sorry! I didn't mean to pull you into this mess-"  
  
"Wait. Is this why you wouldn't tell me where you were from? What are you, an Alien?"  
  
"No! You've got it all wrong. I know just as much about what's going on that you do. All I can tell you is that it's the year 2004, not-what year was it?"  
  
"1900." He said, giving me another look of disbelief. "So what you're saying is that you time-traveled? S what, you were going to have a fling with some guy from my time and go home and never think about him again?!?"  
  
"NO! I'm telling you, I have no idea what happened." My eyes were starting to water, I was going to cry. At a time like this, who wouldn't? "I was walking out of a restaurant, being chased by some asshole, and then everything started." I launched into the story of how it all happened.  
  
"Does Spot know?" he asked. Why would he ask that? Does it matter?  
  
"No, just you," I get it now, he wants to know if I trusted Spot and not him. How sweet. "You shouldn't worry, we'll be back in your time in no time." I said, realizing only after I had said it that it probly sounded way funky.  
  
"How 'bout you show me your time, and when we get back, I'll show you mine?"  
  
"That sounds great, but under one condition, neither of us tell anyone else about the time-hopping thing. I really don't want to be responsible for some major cosmic screw up."  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
We walked for about ten minutes in silence. That was, of course, after the shock of seeing what happened to his precious LH.  
  
"So, how old are you?" Ink asked me out of nowhere. I just realized the fact that I hadn't told anyone that.  
  
"Thirteen. You?" Hey, it's worth a shot.  
  
"Fourteen. Thirteen? Wow, if you don't mind my saying, you definantly don't look it."  
  
"So I've been told." Yes, I've been told that a lot. The youngest anyone has assumed my age was in the last year was fifteen.  
  
"I think Spot thought you were older. He's seventeen, you know."  
  
"Yes, I knew that." So he IS Newsies' Spot. That's way creepy.  
  
"Holy crap! Would you look at how different it is?" Ink said as we approached the Brooklyn Bridge.  
  
"A hundred and four years can do that to something." It was at that second that I realized. Things will never be the same. Ever. Things were so good with Ink, but the only reason we ever met each other was some cosmic blip. Things are very bad. One hundred and four years. He'd be dead before I was borne.  
  
"Look at everything. It's magnificent! So big. I'm finding it hard to believe we will ever be able to build such tall buildings." He broke my line of thought, which was good. I didn't like where it was going.  
  
"There is so much I want you to see, so much there is for you to learn." I stopped and thought a moment. "But you shouldn't see or learn any of it."  
  
"Mandy, we were brought together for some reason, some great reason. Can't you see that?"  
  
"All that I can see right now is that I am suddenly falling for a guy that wouldn't even be ALIVE by the time I was borne." Did I say that out loud?  
  
"You're correct. This is probly some cosmic mistake, but we can enjoy it whilst it lasts, can't we? This is the kind of thing that never happens, something is special about you, I know it."  
  
"OK, I s'pose we can milk this day for all it's worth, now, how 'bout some doughnuts?"  
  
"What's a doughnut?"  
  
"My friend, you have much to learn." We walked off the bridge and down a road leading to a Dunk'n Doughnuts. He draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked. It was almost a triumphant gesture, like he'd won something.  
  
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Yes, it's getting stranger. You all are so nice! Thank you far all of the reviews. Now I'm gonna do some shout outs.  
  
Marchione- thank you so much!  
  
Race Da Hottie- *crosses fingers behind back* I didn't put Eddie in. (Very good thing that he hates Newsies)  
  
Volcanous- Yes, the kisser is hot, Ink somehow traveled back to '04 with Mandy (Thus the lack of accent)  
  
Shorty Carter- Thank you SO much! Thanks a bunches for the magical brownies, very tasty.  
  
Thank you all again, I luv you peoples. Please send me more reviews, it makes me feel liked and appreciated. 


	5. Yay, modernday Thugs

Chapter 5:  
  
"These are so GOOD!" Ink practically yelled. Who'd have thought that a guy could have that much of a reaction to a doughnut? I mean, his eyes were welling up.  
  
"Yes, good, I get it." He was hanging from my arm hinting that he wanted more. I'd only had enough money for two, one for me, one for him. Now I was completely broke.  
  
We walked away from the doughnut shop with Ink drooling and me wishing I hadn't done that. Not only had I wasted my last two bucks, but I had also given doughnuts to a person from a time when doughnuts didn't exist. Now what?  
  
"Let's go see the statue of liberty?" I put the idea out there. It seemed possibly OK.  
  
"No, I've been there before. How about something more new?" well, if he asked.  
  
"In that case, we could always go cruse the shops, or maybe hit Central Park," that was really what I'd wanted to do from the start. "I might have blown my last few bucks on doughnuts, but window shopping can still be fun."  
  
"OK, I guess we can do that."  
  
We looked at all the fun shops and stores and just walked for about an hour. After that we headed for central park. By the time we got there it was already starting to get dark. There was a bench just inside the entrance, so we decided to just sit there for a bit.  
  
"This looks so nice." Ink was in awe. I didn't get a chance to see the 1900 central park, so I had nothing to compare it to.  
  
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" It was nice. I hadn't ever seen anything like it. I'd been to bunches of parks before, but they were always so small or uncared for. This wasn't quite well-manicured, but that gave it this foresty effect.  
  
Some twigs snapped behind us. I reflexively grabbed Ink's hand and made a motion to get up. We took two steps before our attacker(s) said anything.  
  
"Now where do you'se think you're goin', Sweet Cheeks?" Shit, it's the guy from Tibby's. I thought I'd lost him. "Eh! Don't you walk away from me, we's got unfinished business."  
  
"You know this guy?" Ink asked. I'm not sure that he knew that we should be worried.  
  
"Ya, she knows me." That sickening New York accent was bugging me now. Sure all the newsies had it, but this guy abuses it. "We's go way back."  
  
I glanced back just to be positive that he didn't have a gun before we ran. No gun, worse. It wasn't just him, it was him and six of his buddies. I don't think any of them had a gun.  
  
"Run!" I whispered trying to get my point across that it was important. "Now!"  
  
Point taken. We ran towards the exit, only to have a human wall step out in front of us. I ran into him, but Ink caught my fall. We turned and ran in the opposite direction, then realized our mistake. We ran to our right and found more thugs, to our left and only a brief opening in the circle that quickly closed. We were trapped.  
  
"Fifteen against two just isn't fair, guys," I was starting to panic. "How 'bout you give us a chance to run, say, two minutes."  
  
"That would be more fun, yes. But after yesterday's disappearing act you pulled, not so much." I'm not liking this. Think, think, think! Week link! That's it, find the week link and break through. It's our only chance.  
  
I glanced around frantically, sizing them all up. No doubt that we could outrun most of them, but getting out has to come first. I grabbed Ink and rammed the smallest guy. He was just taller than Ink, and went down like a rock. Home Free! Well, sort of. Nothing like the thrill of the chase.  
  
And so we ran. I thought we were good, out of trouble, but I underestimated the ass-pinching thug.  
  
"Bitch, you git back here!" he screamed at the back of our heads. I don't know about Ink, but I could hear him on our heals. We're toast.  
  
He lunged forward and managed to grab the waistband of my pants. In a split second he had my arm behind my back and his knife to my throat. Oh shit, it's over. Any second now he would press the knife into my throat and leave me for dead. There's no telling what he'll do to Ink. There's no telling what he'll do to ME before he kills me.  
  
What if this screws up everything. What if Ink was meant to do something great? This is all my fault.  
  
"How do ya like dis, bitch? How?" great, he's gonna toy with me. "Ya see, nobody says no ta me. Nobody." He started putting pressure on the knife. Slow and painful. "No, I think I'll keep ya alive long enough ta see your little boyfriend git 'is ass kicked!"  
  
Now all the thugs were catching up.  
  
"RUN! Ink, GO." I screamed, half hoping he'd run, half hoping that he'd stay to fight. 'And get himself killed' I had to remind myself.  
  
He stayed. He wouldn't go. No matter how much I yelled at him, he wouldn't run.  
  
My captor's head suddenly sapped forward. He let me go and we both sank to the ground. He was out cold. The thought only occurred to me for a brief second that people don't normally pass out for no good reason. I turned around and realized that I had been crying the whole time.  
  
"Spot?" I asked in disbelief. Other newsboys that I recognized from the lodging house were standing around him. Brooklyn to the rescue again. But they were in normal clothes, normal for 2004.  
  
"Neva feh, Brooklyn's heh," Spot announced triumphantly. That's another Newsie Moment. The thugs were gone.  
  
The scene around me started to flicker between old New York and present day New York. I was really confused.  
  
I put my hands to my neck, and they came back wet.  
  
"This wasn't sp'osed ta happen," my accent was flipping back and forth, too. I passed out, trying to figure out why all the Brooklyn boys were in Now's-Ville and not in Newsie-Ville.  
  
Gee, I wonder if I'm still alive.  
  
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See, told you I have great plans for this story. OK, let's be honest. The Spot-to-the-rescue thing was on a whim, but it fits with my other plans. I didn't get enough reviews from chapter 4 to do shout outs, but thanks anyway marchione, yes, very lucky to live in the time of the doughnuts.  
  
Confused? So am I, but all will work out in the end. 


	6. In And Out

Chapter six:  
  
"Is she gonna be ok?" a voice I didn't recognize at the moment said.  
  
"I dunno, Race. I think she's lost allot of blood." I couldn't place that one either.  
  
"Who is she?" Wait, I recognize that one. But it can't be her. "Ohmigod!"  
  
"Baby?" My eyes fluttered open for just a second to verify that it was her. "Baby Bear? But-" I was going to say 'but how?' but I passed out again.  
  
________________________LATER_________________________  
  
I opened my eyes again. I think it was late, but I'm not sure. I was at a lodging house, but not the Brooklyn one. Hadn't someone said 'Race' as in 'Racetrack Higgins'? I can't remember, it's all fuzzy.  
  
I shot up, hitting my already throbbing head on the bunk above me. Why's the room spinning? I thought about Baby Bear. The whole reason I'd come to New York. Was it possible that the thing that happened to me happened to her?  
  
Two weeks ago she had flown here, alone. She was supposed to come back the next day, it was a school-type event. When she didn't arrive at the airport, we all started to worry. If she had missed the flight, she would have called.  
  
I gave her a week and a half to get in contact with us. She never did. The police had gone out looking for her the second day she was missing. We found out that she had never arrived at the place the convention was being held. I cleaned out my bank account and bought the ticket to get here.  
  
It was a noble excuse. That's what I kept telling myself. I was supposed to come here and find her. We'd figure out how to get home after that. In truth, aside from the fact that I was hopelessly worried, I was really only looking for a reason to come to New York. I had wanted to for a long time due to my Newsie and "Fearless" obsessions.  
  
Now I THINK I've found her, but I have no idea haw to get back. Hawaii isn't even a state yet, and I don't think that airplanes have been invented yet. And what about how Brooklyn came to the rescue? It was 2004, but they were all there.  
  
And where am I? I have no idea what happened. Something about the ass- pinching greaser and Spot and others to the rescue.  
  
'The blood,' the thought echoed through my mind. Lots of blood. He'd slit my throat, but I THINK I'm still alive. I blacked out. Twice. But I think the second time I had simply fainted.  
  
I pulled myself off the mattress, just now noticing the thick bandages around my neck. I went to the nearest bed and nudged its occupant.  
  
"'s it mornin' a'ready?" it's Mush! That proves it, I'm in the Manhattan LH.  
  
"No, Mush, I'm jus' tryin' to figure out what happened." Somehow I didn't think I'd get much out of him at the moment.  
  
"Who're you?" just as I thought, clueless. "How do you knows me name?"  
  
"You'd never unastand, go back ta sleep." Obedient little bugger. I moved on to the next bed. I thought a moment and found it better to go find Jack or Ink, the only ones I've met so far. Maybe Race, he might know something.  
  
I found Jack first, and started to repetetly poke his shoulder.  
  
"Eh, whatsamata?" his voice was thick with sleep, he turned over to face me. I saw a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Oh, you'se awake. Or is I dreamin'?"  
  
"No, you'se awake. I need someone ta tell me what happened." I really hope he knows something.  
  
"Actually, we was all waitin' for you ta tell us what happened." He sat up and jumped down from his top bunk. "It's tree o'clock in da mornin', whatchoo doi'n up so early?"  
  
"I just now woke up, I want to know where Ink is." There, it's been said. I need to find 'im."  
  
"'e's ova dere." He said, pointing at the opposite corner of the room. "He was real worried about you, he's stayed here for ta last tree days."  
  
"Tree DAYS! I've been out fer tree days?" I couldn't believe it. Oh no, I feel faint. Shit, I'm out again.  
  
This time when I wake up, I don't remember anything.  
  
"Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here? Ink! Ink! Where are you?"  
  
"Oh no, she's babblin'. Want me to put 'er out fer a while?" some boy with dirty blonde hair said.  
  
"NO!" another boy said. I think he's Italian, looks a bit like Race from Newsies. "She needs ta eat somethin', she hasn't been awake fer more than twenty minutes in four days."  
  
Newsies, newsies. That's it. I've gone crazy and an in my own little rendition of Newsie-Ville. No, that's not it. I don't know an Ink. But I suddenly recognized him as he was pushing his way through the crowd of 'ohmigod!'*gulp* half naked guys.  
  
"Mandy, is you all right?" I remembered everything. The thugs, the knife, Spot in 2004. "I thought we'd lost ya." He pulled me into an tight hug and I broke down. In barely a second I had big fat tears roling down my face.  
  
"Luckily Jack didn't knock ya out dis time," I think that was Racetrack, but I couldn't be sure.  
  
"What?" I said looking up from Ink's shoulder. I don't remember getting knocked out.  
  
"Yeah, the six times you woke up you went ta Jack. He tried to tell ya what happened, but ya always fainted 'fore 'e finished." OK, I get it now.  
  
"How long has it been since the fight?" I really needed to know.  
  
"A week. You been in and out for a week." Jack replied, he was said dirty blonde boy.  
  
"What happened? How did I get here, I mean?" that's something that I know I've probubly asked six times already.  
  
"Let's git some food inta your system first," I think spot said that, but things were starting to get fuzzy. "How about we go git you'se some food and you git a little more sleep?"  
  
"That-that sounds-" I was gonna say good, but, again, I'd passed out onto Ink. I guess I'll figure out what happened yesterday. I forgot to ask about Baby Bear, 'cause I'm still not sure it was her.  
  
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Thank you for all the nice reviews! I don't have much to say. Thanks to u all again. I'd do more shout outs, but I don't believe in them (they don't exist!) It's an annoying me thing, but they bug the heck out of me. So I do my own little version. Thank you Peachy, Soaker, and Sureshot Higgins. 


	7. Baby Bear!

Chapter 7:  
  
"Mmmm," the water slid down my throat, waking me from my "sleep". I opened my eyes and saw Ink sitting on the edge of the bed holding a small cup of what looked like water.  
  
"You was gone again there." His words sounded so sincere. 'He loves me' the thought went through my mind quickly.  
  
"You're an angel," I said, as I saw that he had a plate of food next to him.  
  
"You only want me fer me food," he joked.  
  
"You know that ain't true," the scene started to fade and the cup was brought back to my lips, snapping me back. He pulled it away and offered me something that I take to be bread. I couldn't exactly taste anything at the moment. I took it gratefully.  
  
"How's your neck?" He asked with allot of concern in his voice. I suddenly remembered everything.  
  
"Where's Baby Bear?" He just looked at me and I immediately felt bad for breaking the moment.  
  
"She's out sellin'," he answered, "How do you know her?"  
  
"I think she's in the same type of situation as me." I was getting my strength back. "I need to talk to her. Is this where she stays?"  
  
"Yes, I've been stayin' here with all the Manhattan newsies. Spot wanted to stay, but there wasn't room." Why would Spot want to stay? "He was really worried about you."  
  
"I gotta git up," I said, attempting to sit up. I didn't get too far.  
  
"Let's jus' take things slowly." He said, helping me back down to my pillow. I figure it was easier to agree.  
  
"How was Jack and Spot after the fight?" I'd forgotten all about that.  
  
"They's fine. Spot was out fer a couple of hours, Jack jus' had some bruises. As I assume you knows, Spot was back on 'is feet in time ta save ya from that thug."  
  
"About that, did they notice that they were in the year 2004?"  
  
"Yes, they noticed. They 'ad gone lookin' fer us and they say everythin' changed. That's when they saw the guy holdin' ya. You shoulda seen 'is face jus' before 'e hit dat guy. He was pissed." I had seen his face afterward, he did look a bit upset now that I think about it.  
  
"I can imagine. So what, he saw us in trouble and decided to come to the rescue?"  
  
"Mostly yes, but 'e say you and decided to come ta da rescue. H e could care less about me." He looked away. I took another bite of the bread, chewing slowly, savoring the fact that I could now taste what I was eating. I tried sitting up again, this time with better luck. I moved back and put my back against the wall.  
  
"What time do da newsies git back from sellin'?" I thought out loud, not really expecting an answer.  
  
"Whenever they git done sellin'" so when is that? "They been comin' home earlier lately to check on you, though. Spot's been dropping by twice daily."  
  
"I don't care about Spot, I need to know about Baby Bear. She's the reason I came to New York, I need ta find her."  
  
"What do ya mean? She says she's lived in Brooklyn all her life, how would you be knowing her?" he was really confused now.  
  
"No, she hasn't lived in Brooklyn her whole life, I don't even think she's been here very often. How long ago did she show up?"  
  
"'Bout tree weeks ago, I s'pose." Just as I suspected. This only adds to my belief that she's from my time.  
  
I heard some indistinct chatter as some people were walking up the stairs. I think that it was Mush, Racetrack, and Boots.  
  
"Eh, the sleepin' beauty's awake!" the one I took to be racetrack said.  
  
"I should go find Spot, he wanted to know the second she woke up," that one was Boots.  
  
"Wait. Who are you?"  
  
"Oh, I forgot that we never had the chance to introduce ourselves," Mush said. "This is Racetrack Higgins and Boots," he said motioning to the other boys, "and you already know that I'm Mush."  
  
"Spot'll be here soon enough, he always is," Ink said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.  
  
"OK, but remember ta tell him you told me not ta go," Boots had a much thinner accent than most of the other guys.  
  
"Do ya know when Baby Bear normally gits back from work?" These guys lived with her, they should know.  
  
"Her work schedule isn't as clean cut as ours, so no." Mush said. Great, they don't know. That's wonderful.  
  
Just than there was a bunch of noise coming from the stair well. The noise burst through the door suddenly stopping two steps in.  
  
"Mandy?" Baby said, her voice drenched with hope.  
  
"Baby, it is you! Ohmigod, do you know how worried everyone 'as been!" It is her! I was right.  
  
"Mandy, how did ya get here?" Her voice suddenly frightened. "Boys, can we have a couple of minutes alone?"  
  
"Ink cin stay. 'E knows everythin'. Some of de otha' Brooklyn newsies know something too." She stared me in the eye, trying to figure out if I was liying. Race, Mush, and Boots left.  
  
"How did Ink and the Brooklyn newsies find out?"  
  
"Well, Ink and I kissed an'-um-he sort of 'fallowed me home'." She doesn't believe me.  
  
"What do you mean, he came back to the future?" I nodded. "What about the Brooklyn boys, did dey fallow you wid a kiss?!?" She was yelling and I got a hint that she knew a little bit more than me.  
  
"No, the othas jist showed up in de future and saved my life from da thugs." Till I saw disbelief in her eyes. "Really, I know nothin'."  
  
"Wait, how'd ya git to de future?"  
  
"I don't know, I been switching back an' forth. Did that happen ta you?" Stupid question.  
  
"No, it didn't." She sounded ashamed. "I was walkin' through Manhattan an' suddenly I was hear, in the past, standin' in front of de LH. Then I saw Race walkin' towards de door, and I asked him if he knew what year it was. Then he invited me to stay at the LH, couse he knew I was sleepin' on da street."  
  
"So you just stayed in Newsie-Ville?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
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I have nothing ta say at the moment. This is the second chapter I posted today. I have way too much time on my hands. Please review, I want to know if you think that I'm steering the story in the right direction. 


	8. OK, We can figure this out

Chapter 8:  
  
The door burst open suddenly, with the type of force that could easily knock it off it's hinges. I swear it had probably been kicked. Spot ran in suddenly and pushed Ink off the bed.  
  
"Are you OK?" he started, kneeling beside the bed. "I's so sorry I wasn't here to be there for ya when you woke up." He sounded so sincere, it was sort of creepy. He started to say something else, but I cut him off.  
  
"Spot, I'm fine." He just stared in disbelief. "Really, Ink was here ta help me." Now he was looking really pissed. I turned helplessly to Ink, looking for help. He looked like a puppy that had been kicked. How had he survived in Brooklyn?  
  
"What do ya mean, 'Ink was here'?" There was something in his voice that hadn't been there before. Was it jealousy? "No, ferget that. I'm here now, ta take care a ya."  
  
Ink cleared his throat. "I think I's got it unda control." Yay, Ink can stand up for himself. Yes, yes, YES! Get Spot out of here, so we can be alone and finish our conversation.  
  
"No, Ink, why don't you go and git some woik done?" No, no, NO! Don't leave me alone with this obviously obsessive person. No telling what might happen, and it's hard to avoid someone or run away when you're bed-ridden.  
  
"Umm," he hesitated, "I really do have to git some woik done. But I don't want ta leave Mandy alone."  
  
"She won't be alone, I'll be here," Spot is scaring me now. Please don't leave.  
  
" Well, Spot, I see your point, but." He was looking for a reason to stay.  
  
"But," Baby jumped in, "I've been sellin' double me usual papes ta make up fer him." Thank God for people that understand me.  
  
"In that case, would ya give us a couple a minutes alone?" He obviously didn't like being shot down.  
  
They left. The stupid people! They just left. Ink was a bit reluctant, but he still left without a fight. Does he think it's safe to leave Spot alone with me? I don't.  
  
Spot's mood changed the second the door shut. The pissed off SOB was gone, with no trace that that side of Spot was ever there. I didn't know whether to be relieved or more scared. He sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned in close, but didn't do what I had expected. He pulled out a rose.  
  
"What is this?" I asked. I didn't take him to be that much of a gentleman. But I guess you really can't judge a book by it's cover.  
  
"That date I promised you before da fight." Oh my gosh, I had forgotten completely about that. Now I know why he was so anxious to be alone with me. "You know, ta git ta know eachotas."  
  
"That is so sweet, but I'm not sure if dis is da right time." He tried to say something, but I wouldn't let him. "We was havin' a very important convasation." And that was the truth.  
  
"What was so important about it?" He can't just drop it, can he?  
  
"Spot, well, I figure you already know something about it." He probably should. "It's about what happened the last week."  
  
"About the funny cloths and giant buildings?" Good, he didn't get it. But now he knows it's important, so I have to explain.  
  
"Yes, about that." I hesitated a moment. "It was the future. The year 2004. The time I'm from." He was stunned. He just stared for a moment, then stood up.  
  
"Is you tryin' ta tell me you's from da future?" I nodded. "How is dat possible? Do you'se have a time machine or somehtin'? Please, do explain this."  
  
"Well, I wish I could." If looks could kill, I'd long since be dead. "That's what we was discussin' earlier." He's not buying. "Really, Baby's in the same sitiation as me. But I think she knows more. Please, would you let them back in sos we can at least TRY ta figure out what happened?"  
  
"If I cin stay and help." He's serious! "I'd like ta know what happened me-self. Is not fair that Ink gits ta know what's goin' on, and I don't. I'm part a dis, too." He's right. Like it or not, he's in this.  
  
I never had to answer, 'cause at that moment the door creaked open and Ink and Baby came in. This is good. Very good. I at least hope that Baby knows somethin' more.  
  
"You told him!" Not quite the greeting I'd expected. "How could you tell HIM?!? It's bad enough that Ink knows, but now Spot? You are going ta send the fate of the world crashing down!"  
  
"He already knew a little bit of it," I said weekly, "I just filled in some a de blanks. Honest." She doesn't believe me.  
  
"Fine, since 'e already knows, 'e might as well help us." OK, that's more like it. I knew she'd understand.  
  
"OK, let's figua dis out sos we cin send you two home and we cin go back to bein' newsies." I can't believe Ink was saying that. "  
  
"Ink." I had to tell him that I'd decided to stay here in the past. "I don't want ta go back."  
  
"Mandy! You can't mean that. You have so much going fer ya back in Hawaii." Baby doesn't get it.  
  
"No, you 'ave allot goin' fer ya back in Hawaii. I fit betta here," the looks of relief and disbelief were incredibly obvious. I'm serious, I want to stay.  
  
"Hawaii?" Ink and Spot said, coming out of their trance in unison.  
  
"Shit, another mistake." Now we'd have to explain how Hawaii would become a state in like, 50 years. That would be a shock to them when they're 60 some and something we tell them now happens.  
  
"It's a state that isn't a state yet," Baby jumped in, saving me from the explination. "Don't ask questions. We don't have answers."  
  
"OK, now let's figua out exactly what's goin' on." Spot said. Something tells me that we aren't gonna get too far in the near future. Or the distant future, for that matter.  
  
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I'm so sorry about this particular chapter. I think I should re-write the entire thing. I lost my train of thought half way through, but it's not my fault. My baby sister was crying and really needed some attention. Please review. Should I redo this chapter? 


	9. Fading

Chapter nine:  
  
"Where were you'se when you found yourself in da past?" Baby was asking me. I was only paying half attention, and I wasn't alone. Ink an' Spot were looking rather bored. Why were they here again?  
  
"Um," snapping back to full attention now, "I was walking out a Tibby's, avoiding some ass hole who pinched me ass." Yup, that covers it. "Den Spot was suddenly behind me."  
  
"Spot, how did you'se realize she was dere?" That's a good question. Why didn't I think of that?  
  
"Well, I'se was walkin' up da street, and den she was suddenly dere. Jus' appeared walkin' into de light from da street-lamp." Come to think of it, that's how I first saw Spot, walking into the light from the street-lamp.  
  
"Hmmm," Baby was thinking, she seems to do that allot lately. "I can't make a connection. When I went to da past, I was in Manhattan, jus' walkin' around, durin' da day." This isn't making any sense. "Then I'se was suddenly in front of da News-boy's lodging house."  
  
It took a moment for me to process this information. "I've fond a connection!" This earned me odd looks from everybody. "We both showed up in the past near a lodgin' house. What time did ya say it was when it happened?"  
  
"I didn't, but it was around 9 am-ish." This was our connection! I'm starting to understand things a bit better.  
  
"That's around the time I showed up by da Brooklyn LH. Only it was PM." Now she's getting it. The boys are still clueless, there boys, that's there excuse. "Spot, do you knows what time it was when you'se found me?"  
  
"Yeah, 'bout 9-ish." Still clueless.  
  
"That's it! We went to da past exactly two weeks an' 6 hours apart." That figured out, but we still need the whole why I went back part. "I think that means that we can git back at the same times in da same place exactly two weeks an' six hours from da time we got here."  
  
Baby's face went ashen, and it took me a moment to realize why. She's been here for three weeks, she's missed her time slot.  
  
"Oh, no. I could be wrong. I have been before, you know dat, right?" She nodded, but she didn't believe a word I was saying. "Really, I punched holes in me own theory with the fact that I switch back an' forth." Her expression didn't change.  
  
"Why do you'se git ta go home every once in a while, an' I don't. Hell, Ink 'as seen more a da futua den I has in three weeks." Every word Baby said was true, I wasn't gonna lie to her about it. She's stuck for a reason.  
  
The bed suddenly dropped out from underneath me. I thought that I had broken it, but when I looked up, there was no bed there. Spot Ink and Baby were all wearing jeans and T-shirts.  
  
"Question answered, Baby. You ain't stuck, look at you now." Why had he accent stuck to Spot? "An' what the Hell are these thing we's wearin'?" OK, no accent, just poor grammar.  
  
"We're back in the future, Spot. These are what we wear now." Baby gave a quick reply and stood up. The nightstand she had been sitting on was gone, too.  
  
"Holy Shit, what's happened to us, to the LH?" Voices from downstairs. Shit is right. Why are they now? Jack, Race, Boots, and Mush came bursting through the door.  
  
"I wanna know what's goin' on an' why? What did you two do?" I think Jack suspected us of something. But his stay didn't last long. He said something else, but he had faded out of the scene. Mush and Boots went next followed by racetrack, who let out a very girly scream as each one of his buddies faded into nothing-ness.  
  
"What was that all about?" Ink said in the confusion. He didn't get a reply, everyone was staring at the empty space.  
  
"Um, Ok, NOW I'm freaked out." I heard myself say the words before I even knew I'd thought them.  
  
"Hops, trust me, you're not alone." Ink called me by Hops. He's never done that before.  
  
"You called me Hops. Why?" stupid question, yes. It was another said-before- thought sentence.  
  
"Well, you'se said your friends call you Hops, an' I figure, we're friends, so why not?" Ink probably thought it a dumb question, too.  
  
"Back to why we are here, people." Baby was getting annoyed by the outside conversation. It was understandable. "I'm seeing a common factor in the time hop thing. It's Hops." That's OK, everyone can use my name now! But she is right, I am present when any jumping through time activity occurs.  
  
"Well, Baby, we might as well use our time in the here and now to call home and tell 'em where we are."  
  
"Does this mean we get to stay home?" Baby was so hopeful. I wish I could just say "yes" But I'd be lying.  
  
"Baby, I know jus' as much as you do, so I can't say for sure. Not all the pieces are in place. Spot an Ink are here, and I don't know if they can get back on their own." Crushed. That's all I can say to describe her expression.  
  
*cough* "Let's just go call our parents, they're probably worried." We all left the LH for the nearest pay phone. I'd love to just get on a plane and go back to Oahu, no matter how much I hate it there. But after the bed incident, I'm not sure I trust the plane to not just disappear from underneath us.  
  
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The chapter isn't short in length, but I'm not sure. I apologize for the lack of new chapters for a little while, but stuff happened. Well, I did stuff. I went to the water park all yesterday, then spent the night at my friend's house, who lives incredibly far away from my computer. Then today we went to the mall. We as in Ink's inspiration and others. Again, the fact that he hates all things newsies is good. Well, that's a tid-bit of useless information.  
  
Please review. I luvs all of your reviews. 


	10. Do I know you?

Chapter 10:  
  
It took us about ten minutes to find a phone. My parents weren't home (big surprise) but BB's were really worried. They wired her some money (another surprise) to get us a hotel room until we can get tickets to go home. We're still working out a story, luckily they didn't ask about it.  
  
"Now all we need to do is find a bank." Baby said, which is probably easier said than done. "Really, how hard could it be?"  
  
"Pretty damn hard. We have a while to work on it, though." Baby has money, she always does. "So, how much cash do you have with you?"  
  
"None at the moment, but we'll need to go back to my hotel room. I left everything there." Of course she did. That is just wonderful.  
  
"B, you do know that they sent all of your thing home, right?" The look on her face told me that she didn't. How could she? "We're screwed, aren't we?"  
  
"Yup, mostly at least. I do have my bank card." Yes, that is a VERY good thing. "Wait," Baby said patting her back pocked, "I think I have some cash." She pulled out a small wad of bills. On closer inspection, it was a wad of twenties.  
  
*gulp* "How much money is that?" Spot said. That's right, they probably haven't ever seen more than a few ones at a time. Baby Bear pulled it apart.  
  
"Eighty dollars. But I don't think we should get a room yet." Why? "We don't know how long we'll be here." Good point.  
  
We heard a scream from somewhere behind us, then a short girl, about the same age as me (13), ran past us. I was on that end, and stuck my foot out at the right moment. A big muscley guy tripped and fell, with two other smaller guys falling on top of him. The girl heard their fall and turned to look at us.  
  
"Look out!" she screamed as some other huge guy grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up. I tilted my head forward in order to head butt him. I thought and decided against it, you know, with the bandages and all.  
  
"INK! SPOT! HELP!" Screaming isn't good right now. Oh, the pain. The three guys on the ground were getting up now. "Baby, take care of them!" I said as loud as I could at the moment, which wasn't very loud.  
  
She heard and immediately kicked the three of them in the back of the head. The incredible hulk attempted to get back up, but she kicked him again.  
  
"Stay the fuck down!" she yelled. I've never known Baby to talk like that. I didn't have much time to think about it. There was a click a couple of inches from the right side of my head and something pressed against my temple.  
  
"INK!" Ow, that hurt. But you know what else would hurt? A bullet pressing it's way through my brain. Yes, I think that would be painful. I couldn't see them. The image of the fading newsies suddenly flashed through my mind. I panicked, but did nothing.  
  
Something brushed against the back of my head and the arm holding the gun was suddenly wrenched away from my head. The gun went off with a deafening bang. The guy dropped me and I hit the ground hard.  
  
"RUN!" The girl that had run by earlier yelled. So I did, kicking the guys' heads as I passed. I glanced back to see how Spot Ink and Baby were doing. Ink was on the back of guy who had been holding me and had his hands covering his eyes. Spot was throwing punch after punch to the dude's face and stomach. Baby was still keeping the Incredible Hulk and friends on the ground.  
  
I started back but the short girl ran up and grabbed my arm, dragging me after her.  
  
"RUN!" she shouted again over her shoulder. Baby gave one final kick to the Hulk's head and took off after us. When she reached us, I noticed that he arm was bleeding. "OMIGOD! Are you all right?" The blonde girl yelled.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Baby said, putting her hand up to stop the bleeding, "Just barely grazed my skin."  
  
"Good, I've been shot before." She paused, "It's not pleasant."  
  
"I could imagine." Baby said. How did she get shot? Was it when the gun went off by my head.  
  
"Wait! We have to go back for Spot and Ink. We can't just leave them," I thought I had stopped at that, finishing the thought with 'boys from 1900 don't know how to deal with these type of guys.'  
  
"What do you mean, 'from 1900'?" Great, I HAD said that out loud.  
  
"You wouldn't understand," Baby said. This girl is smart, she dropped it at that.  
  
There was another bang and I heard shattering glass. I pulled my arm out of the girls grasp and turned and ran in the other direction.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she said, once again grabbing my arm. "You don't know those guys, they'll kill anyone who gets in their way." She paused, "I got in their way." I wondered what had happened. I'll have to ask her that later.  
  
The scene around us started to fade back into 1900 New York. I expected the girl to fade away with it, but her hand held firm to my arm. Ink fell to the ground with a loud thud.  
  
"Not this again!" the girl said under her breath.  
  
"Maybe you would undastand a bit more den we thought," Baby said, walking over to where we were. "What do ya mean by 'again'?"  
  
"Well, this isn't da foist time dis has happened. That's why da '1900 boys' ting trough me off a bit," Well well well, I think we may have found someone that knows what's going on. This could be helpful. "People in 2004 call me Shortie, but in 1900 they call me Tuck. I'm a newsgirl. Not quite sure when I'm originally from though. Been hoppin' since I'se was 'round four."  
  
"How old are you now?" Spot said, jumping into our conversation.  
  
"Fifteen," Tuck replied with a slight hesitation. Spot put his arm over her shoulders.  
  
"So, you got a place ta stay?" Tuck shook her head at Spot's question. "You cin stay at my place."  
  
"Um, sure," she said. Shouldn't she already have a place? I mean, she's been back and forth for the past eleven years.  
  
"We should probably be headin' back to the LH," I said. Good, Spot now has a new girl to obsess over. That means he'll leave me alone. "We need ta explain some stuff ta Jack an' dem."  
  
"What times is all of you'se native to?" Tuck said after a couple of minutes.  
  
"Well, Ink an' Spot is from now, and Baby an' me is from 2004," that's what we think, at least.  
  
"Wait, you've dragged people from now inta da time hop crap?" Something tells me that she hasn't done that before.  
  
"So you don't know anything we don't?" Baby said. She didn't sound all that surprised.  
  
"Nope, I'm relatively clueless. Wait, haven't I seen you two before?" We had walked into a pocket of light, so we could see things more clearly. She does look familiar.  
  
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Thank you all for all the nice reviews. I'm short on time, and yes, secrets are starting to be revealed, but this story is far from over, I promise you that. I think I screwed up some of the accents close to the end, but oh-well, the story'll live. Please send more reviews. I luvs you all. TTFN. 


	11. Why&about Mush?

Chapter 11:  
  
I thought back through everything that had happened in New York. Not much before I'd found myself now. There was a bunch to sift through since then, though. It hit me and Baby at the same moment where we'd seen her.  
  
"Tibby's!" I said. Tibby's right before I met Spot.  
  
"Just before I time hopped, on da street!" Baby said, her words overlapping mine. We'd both seen her just before the 'times had changed'.  
  
"Ya saw her jus' before you wound up here?" we said at the same moment.  
  
"This is startin' ta make sense," I said, this time without Baby's echo. "Really, we both came inta contact wit you," I pointed at Tuck, "Jus' before we came to 1900." That means that she has something to do with it. This is all HER fault. It has nothing to do with us.  
  
"Okay, dis still has sometin' missin'. Why do I time-hop?" Tuck asked. Good question. I wish I knew. "No, forget it, we cin figure dat out later. The boinin' subject of da moment is why you came here after seein' me."  
  
"Maybe we should try ta figua out why you's here," Ink said, making his presence known.  
  
"I said 'no'! When I says no, I mean it." Tuck sounded like she really didn't want to talk about the matter.  
  
"Okay, okay. It was jus' a sympol sudgestion. You don't need ta jump down da poor guy's t'roat," Spot chimed in, defending his pal. His arm was still around Tuck's shoulders. She didn't look too happy about it.  
  
"You know, maybe this woud be a bit easia if we's wasn't so tired," Baby said with a yawn. I nodded in agreement, and hugged myself. Ink came up beside me and held me close as we walked.  
  
The rest of the walk was silent. After a while, Tuck did shrug Spot off her, but nothing was said. Poor Spot, getting rejected left and right. I already knew that there were no empty beds in the Brooklyn LH, so I had no Idea how we were gonna arrange the beds.  
  
We walked through the door and towards the stairs before anyone asked about the bed situations.  
  
"Spot, there ain't no empty beds," Ink said in a whisper.  
  
"Dey cin sleep in da empty rooms," Spot replied simply. Just then I heard a faint squeaking sound, a giggle, and a thump. The giggle was a girl's.  
  
"Somehow I don't tink dat da rooms is open." Ink smiled a little as he said that. We were at the top now. Spot checked the knobs on the doors to the 'empty' rooms. They were all locked, except one. But that one wasn't empty. "Well, Tuck cin sleep in me room, Baby cin sleep," he stopped to think, "No, bad idea. But Mandy cin sleep wid you, right Ink?"  
  
Ink and I blushed.  
  
"I ain't got a problem wit dat. How bout you, babe?" Babe? What the heck does he think this is? The 80's/90's? I nodded anyway. My throat still hurt from earlier. I think Ink has enough respect for me, he wouldn't try nothing.  
  
"So what about me?" Baby piped up. I'd suggest the floor, but that wouldn't be smart. "What about da beds dat are made empty by da boys in da rooms?"  
  
"Sweetie, that's what wouldn't be too smart. Ya see, dese boys heah, dey git restless, if you knows what I mean." The hint was clear as day. Spot can't trust his boys to not 'mess' with a girl alone in a bed. "You could share da bed wit me an' Tuck here, if ya wanna."  
  
"Got extra blankets?" Baby wants to sleep on the floor. Spot nodded. "Den I'll sleep on da floor." See, toldya.  
  
"Uh, sure." Poor Spot again. I guess he won't be getting the threesome he'd been hoping for (a/n, excuse the reference).  
  
They went off into Spot's room. I heard a slap and Spot came out muttering something about sleeping on a temporarily empty bed. He had a bright red hand mark on the left side of his face.  
  
Ink and I got into the bed being very awkward about it. He got in first, then lifted the sheet for me. I put my back to him and he slipped his arms around my waist. It took me a while to fall asleep, but Ink was out almost instantly. This leads me to wonder how many other girls he'd had in that same position, after other tiring events (a/n, excuse the comment)  
  
I woke up having forgotten where I was. Ink was already up, as were all the other boys. I screamed before I remembered everything. Everyone turned to stare at me. Ink stepped over to see what was wrong.  
  
"Wassa matta?" He asked. He sat down and stroked my hair.  
  
"Oh, uh, nothing. I jus' fergot where I was." The answer satisfied him and he stood up to go put his pants on. *gulp* His pants weren't on a moment ago. I buried my head under the blankets to wait out the half naked boys image. It didn't work too well.  
  
Ink tapped me and I poked my head out. "It's safe ta come out a dere now."  
  
We got up and walked to the distribution center deep in conversation. Baby and Tuck had left with Spot already. Somehow our conversation let to mush and the fact that so many girls like him, but he's single.  
  
"Why would 'e be single, e's so cute," I said, earning an odd look from Ink. "Do ya know if e's," I paused a minute, "That way?"  
  
"Watcha mean by 'that' way?" Ink said, oblivious to 'that's meaning.  
  
"I mean, do you know if he likes guys?"  
  
"Why would a guy. OH! Now I git it. You should ask 'im sometime."  
  
We were approaching a pair of huge iron gates in a wall. It was open, reveiling a large open area, filled with newsies. I must say, it was nothing like the movie.  
  
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This chapter was bad and boring. I just couldn't get the words to go where they should have gone. I know how I want to end the story, and that I need to add more characters (friends who want in), and I know Tuck's secret. I just don't know if I'm gonna change anything.  
  
PLEASE review. I am begging you. All of you. I NEED to know if where this story is going is obvious or if it sounds like it's going somewhere else. Feel free to e-mail me, too. I lead a rather lonely life, and I can maybe answer questions about the characters. 


	12. Kissy Kissy

Chapter 12:  
  
"Fifty papes," Ink said, smacking down a few small coins. The man behind the bars was dressed in a gray tweed suit with a brown tie. The man-boy beside him was in a black suit without a tie, but wore a black bowler.  
  
"Whateva' kid. Jake, give 'im 'is papes," the man said to the man-boy. Jake, I suppose. Jake threw some papes under the grate and Ink took them.  
  
"Ink, I don't got no money," I whispered, and Ink handed my ten papers. "Uh, thanks."  
  
"Sell dem papes and use dat money ta buy some tomorrow."  
  
"Ok, but shouldn't I use some fer food?" The question wasn't answered. Actually, it probably hadn't been heard. All at once the boys started screaming at the top of their lungs. How could I have forgot that part of the movie?  
  
I looked down at the headlines, figuring out which ones would sell naturally and which would need improving. I flipped through to the third page where a headline caught my eye. 'Girls Seen Disappearing on Brooklyn Bridge!' That would sell well, so I'll use it. Who cares if the article is about me?  
  
"Girls vanish from Brooklyn Bridge!" I screamed as loud as I could. I knew that embarrassing year of cheerleading would come in handy someday. Ink grabbed my arm and spun me around.  
  
"What the hell do ya think you's doin'?" I guess he said it in a whisper, because I couldn't hear him. I had to read his lips. His lips *lost in daydream*  
  
"No one knows I's on a dose goils, right?" I said, it felt like I was stating the obvious.  
  
"Goils is always disappearing off dat bridge, it'll neva sell." Oh, so he was worried about the sales. Though, this IS work, not play. "Try dis one:" he shouted out a completely different headline and someone walked up and bought a paper.  
  
I tried it and sold one almost immediately. Then I tried a different one, sold another two. This ain't too hard.  
  
I glanced over at Ink who was standing a few yards away. Three people were walking away with papers. Maybe not so easy. I continued on as I was, switching 'improved' headlines every so often. I sold out quickly, but didn't have much to begin with. I stood with Ink for a bit.  
  
"We should move somewhere else," he said, and I looked at his stack of papers.  
  
"But you don't have that many left," I felt stupid, I was telling the experienced newsie that he only had a few left.  
  
"Not ta sell, ta be alone fer a bit." Again I felt stupid. He sold off his last two papes and we walked off to an unknown destination. I just fallowed, and when I looked up, we were going into a hidden alley.  
  
"Um, Ink? We haven't exactly had great experiences with dark alleys," I said with a slight waver to my words. I was remembering the time when I was going to sell with Spot, with the Delancy brothers. God, that feels like such a long time ago.  
  
"I don't think we'll have any problems dis time," he muttered, gently backing me up against the wall. He put his hands on my hips and came down on me with a deep kiss. He pulled back and looked into my eyes. "Do you mind my doin' dat?"  
  
"Not in da least," I said, reaching up and placing my arms around his neck. We kissed again, and I swear, I thought that when-if-we pulled apart, it would be my time again. When we did pull apart, it was still the same year.  
  
"Now, does dis mean dat you's my goil?" Ink asked cautiously.  
  
"Of course. What do ya think I am, loose?" I was seriously starting to get twitchy about the alley. "Let's go find someplace a little nicer ta do this."  
  
"Sure," Ink said as he grabbed my hand and started out of the alley.  
  
"How many otha goils 'ave you been wit?" I really wanted to take it back after I'd said it.  
  
"Two before you, but they's was nothin'." I believe him. It took me a while to realize that we were heading towards the LH.  
  
"Ink, where are we goin'?" I asked. I was worried that he intended to bring me to one of those empty rooms.  
  
"Da roof. I can't think of a betta place ta go," that's very romantic of him. All my doubts melted. "Where ya gonna stay tonight?" he broke through the silence that had settled around us.  
  
"Well, I'll stay here, if you'll 'ave me," I said, on the verge of giggling. He just smiled and tugged me out a door at the top of the stairs. The scene was truly breath-taking.  
  
"How do ya like it?" he asked me, most likely noting the awe that I knew was written all over my face.  
  
"It's," I lost track of what I was saying.  
  
"Beautiful," Ink cut in.  
  
"Yes, it is," I said breathlessly. The view of the bridge and being there with Ink-alone with Ink-was a bit too much to take.  
  
"No, I meant you." He pulled me to him and we shared yet another tender, long kiss.  
  
"Eh, would ya look at you twos?" Baby said from the door. "Mandy, weren't you always complaining about being alone?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but times change." I looked back at Ink and reluctantly pulled myself away from him. "Where's Spot and Tuck?" I asked, breaking the long pause.  
  
"They're downstairs, entertaining guests," she looked at us with a look in her eyes that I don't know how to identify. It was almost smug. "We saw you's come in and Spot sent me to chase you two. Didn't mean ta interrupt anything."  
  
"Um," I was stumbling over my words, "No, it's-it's fine." I was more embarrassed than anything else. "Should we go down-stairs?"  
  
"Er, yes. I guess we should." Ink was no better with it than me. So we all trailed downstairs to go meet these guests of Spot's.  
  
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OK, another terrible chapter. I'm getting around to putting in the other characters that I mentioned last update. I'm so happy, not one, but TWO people want to be in my fic. I'm just shocked that anyone would even want to continue reading it after the first chapter or two. It's come allot farther than originally expected. The majority of the non-newsie based characters are people that I know from school. Baby Bear is my Newsie obsessed neighbor. Tuck is my short Newsie obsessed friend. Mandy is my Newsie obsessed self (loosely based). Ink is my Newsie hating dude I like. I have two more friends coming in the next chapter and the two new people coming in sooner or later. I love all of your reviews. I regret but one thing, I get no constructive criticism*mock sniff* (that was sarcasm, but some of that would be nice) More reviews. Mandy loves reviews. Good and bad. That's all for the moment, ta. 


	13. Back on track, uh, Sortof

Chapter 13:  
  
Downstairs was Spot, Tuck, and two girls that I didn't recognize. Spot had his arm draped over the shoulder of a tall-ish brunet with short hair and an old dress. The other had red-tinted hair underneath a newsboy hat and was dressed in boy's cloths.  
  
"And who are dese people?" I asked flat out. My mind wasn't exactly functioning well.  
  
"Dis is Boidie," Spot stated, pointing to the girl he had under his arm. "And dis is Little Bit. Dere Manhattan newsies"  
  
"You was asleep every time we was around, so you never saw us," Boidie said. I guess that could be true, after all, I was only awake for a small amount of time, and even then, no-one was around.  
  
Spot looked very triumphant at the moment. This girl wasn't the least bit annoyed with him being on her.  
  
"Um, I don't mean ta be rude or nothin', but we 'ave some stuff we's gotta take care of at the moment," Ink said, breaking the silence, and my train of thought.  
  
"Yeah, I undastand," Little Bit said, starting to walk towards the door. I could so see her as a bubble gum chewing valley girl.  
  
"Oh, but we jus' got 'ere!" Boidie said loudly, sounding very annoyed at the request.  
  
"Really, sweetie, we's got woik ta do." Good, Spot is on our side. I felt bad though. He just now found someone that would accept him, and we had to kick her out.  
  
"Fine, if ya wanna be that way," she said, giving Tuck Baby and me a quick once over. She apparently had no problem with us. If only she knew we had already rejected Sot.  
  
She reluctantly pulled herself out of Spot's embrace and headed to the door.  
  
"I ya need me, you know where I am," Boidie called over her shoulder.  
  
"All right, dollface," Spot replied to the now closed door. "So, where were we?"  
  
"We were jus' tryin' ta figure out why we's jumpin' through time," Baby said bluntly. "We hadn't gotten anywhere yet."  
  
"OK, so, any theories?" Tuck said in an attempt to get us started. Ink and me sat down on the couch.  
  
"Well, we knows it started sometime jus' afta we saw you." That's the only info I have. What did they expect, a fully drawn out possibility? "An' we also know that Spot an' me jumped having something ta do wit Mandy," Ink added on to my idea. He did good leaving out the part about us kissing just before it happened.  
  
"An' I haven't done any jumpin' around that didn't involve Mandy or Tuck," Baby added to our puddle of knowledge. "So it has something to do with Tuck an' Mandy, right?"  
  
"That's puttin' it simply," Tuck said. "I've been hoppin' around since I cin rememba, and I's always done it alone. 'Till you's two." Great, another opening in our little bit of a mystery. What am I saying 'little'? This is big and life threatening.  
  
"Baby, has the chronicles a Narnia been written yet?" I asked.  
  
"The wha.?" Ink started but was cut off by Baby Bear.  
  
"I don't tink so." Was the only answer. That shortness could have been taken as a sign to shut up about it. And so I did.  
  
"So scratch that theory," I said, trying to brush my last suggestion out of the conversation. "Maybe we're all really dead an' dis is some sort of limbo?"  
  
"No, I don't tink so, if it were, I wouldn't a aged at all." Tuck said that with certainty. She saw every ones' looks of confusion and added, "I's thought about dat before."  
  
" Maybe we 'ave ta go back to where we foist jumped an' wait dere till the same time that it happened." The thought just popped onto my head, but I had no intention of persuing it.  
  
"I'm ready ta try anytin' ta get home," Baby said. I felt my face pale. I'm not ready to go home yet. "We'll try tamarow, now we should go see Medda's show. You won't wanna miss it while you're still here."  
  
There was a grunt of approval from Spot and Ink. We left five minutes later.  
  
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OK, sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I'm in computer class and don't exactly have unlimited time. Thank you again for the reviews, and I apologize to the real Boidie an' Little Bit for the major un-planned character flaws. Please review some more and I promise another chapter soon.  
  
My feet have gone to sleep. All applaud. (don't ask.) 


	14. Boidie's Eye Veiw

Chapter 14:  
  
POV of Boidie.  
  
"Do ya think 'e liked me dress?" I asked Little Bit. She's been my BF forever. I know her like I know myself.  
  
"Of course 'e liked yer dress," she said. I NEVER wear dresses, but for Spotty boy in there, I'll do almost anything. "'E had 'is arm around you, right?"  
  
Bit was having one of her 'I undastand everything' moments. Those aren't too common with her. Back in the Brooklyn LH, that was her normal self. She totally didn't get what was going on.  
  
"Where did Baby find dose goils?" I asked. I seriously didn't like how that one, Andy was her name I think, kicked us out right when she saw me with Spot.  
  
"I dunno, but dey seem nice enough." See, like I said clueless.  
  
"Nice enough? That girl, Andy, was all ova Spot! She so couldn't handle me being with him." OK, I'm just venting, honest.  
  
"No, MANDY was with Ink, you could so tell." Maybe she's right. Either way, we should probably be getting back to our LH, in Manhattan. I need to get out of this dress.  
  
"Let's go home. Thanks again for dreasing down for me, and lending me your nicest dress." Yeah, I dislike dresses with a passion. Bit dislikes pants. Opposites attract.  
  
We went back to the MLH to change. When we were finished, it was almost time for the show at Irving Hall.  
  
"Come on! We don't want ta miss Medda's first show, you know it's always the best." Bit was panicking. She knows she only wants to be early to be closer to Blink longer. I guess It's not enough that she sleeps just four beds away, so she's gotta sit by him at the show.  
  
"There's no way we's gonna be on-time. You jus' had ta take that extra five minutes to comb yer hair."  
  
" Yer only mad at me cuz I's eatin' up time you's could be spendin' wit Spot."  
  
"At least Spot has two eyes," I said, none of us know what really happened to Blink's other eye. We assume that there simply isn't one ther. "Why can't ya simply like his poifect twin, Dice?"  
  
"I donno, there's somethin' special about him." Blink's twin is identical to him in all ways except one, he doesn't have that unsightly patch over his eye. "Why do ya like Spot? Everyone knows he's jus' a Jack-ass Playa."  
  
"That's for me ta know an' you ta wonder about till ya die."  
  
We walked the long walk (ooo, three city blocks) to Irving Hall. Half of New York's newsboys and girls were there, along with a bunch of other men. Medda would like to make her theater newsie-exclusive, but she just can't keep everyone out.  
  
"Newsies!" Medda announced with much pride. "And other men," she said with much less vigor, "Welcome to tonight's show. We have a special performer for you today. I'd like to introduce," drummrole, "Klover!"  
  
And with that last word Medda walked off the stage and a tallish girl with short brown hair walked out on the stage. Music started playing in the background and she started to sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'(no, I don't think that song existed at the time). Her voice was sweet and carried well throughout the theater. It was wonderful.  
  
After she was finished, she walked quietly off the stage. Medda came back out andstarted the usual show, minus 'My Lovey Dovey Baby', as that was her usual opener.  
  
I found Spot easily, only had second thoughts about sitting with him. I had changed out of that dress and didn't feel quite so pretty. Bit had been right, Ink and Mandy are together, I hope so, at least. She was on his lap and he had his arms wrapped around her waist.  
  
By luck, Dice and Blink were sitting nearby. Truck, I think that was her name, was flirting shamelessly with Dice.  
  
"Mind if we sit here?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could muster.  
  
"Well, why not, Boidie?" Spot answered. I love the way he says my name. I went to take the seat next to him, but as I passed, he pulled me down onto his lap. "I's thought ya said you's wanted ta sit here?" he said flirtatiously. I just giggled in response.  
  
The girl from on stage, Klover came and took the seet next to Spot. At close range, I could see her blue eyes clearly. Bit reached out to touch the girl's clover pendant. The girl slapped her hand really hard in response.  
  
"Now that's a bit harsh," I mentioned in an attempt to protect my friend. I thought that she slapped her because she was so much younger.  
  
"Nobody touches me clover," she said simply.  
  
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I'd type some more, but I really gotta go. 


	15. Um, lack of title at the moment

Chapter 15:  
  
POV of Mandy.  
  
"Little Bit, Boidie! When did you's two git here?" I asked. I had turned away for just a second, and when I turned back, poof, they were there.  
  
"About five minutes ago," Boidie replied, the hostility in her voice was very strong. What is up with this girl? What does she think I want? Spot?  
  
"Eh, can I talk to ya outside?" I'm gonna make my best efort to befriend this newsie that really is from the past.  
  
"Sure, whateva." She really doesn't like me. I'm not too fond of her, but I don't like being disliked for no reason. We walked outside, both of us reluctantly leaving our guys' laps. "So, what do ya want?"  
  
"I wanna know why you don't like me." Flat out, there it is. A month ago I would have never said that that way.  
  
"Andy, baby, people generally don't like people who want their man, if you undastand that." I wonder if the blonde theory goes back this far.  
  
"I don't want Spot. And it's Mandy, not Andy. I've already turned him down twice." OK, so now she knows that. "An' Tuck an' Baby have turned him down, too. We don't want 'im."  
  
"So now 'e ain't good enough for ya?"  
  
"No, it's not that. I just don't like 'im that way."  
  
"What eva, we're missin' da show." Let's go back inside." I noticed something. There was silence surrounding us. Not what you should expect from outside a theater chocked full of newsies and other men.  
  
"Boidie, it's quiet," I said. I waited for some sort of response but got nothing. "Boidie? Boidie?" Oh no. I think I've jumped again.  
  
I ran into the theater, which was now old and empty, just to verify my theory. I'm in 2004 again, alone. This isn't a first, but the last time didn't last long. I just have to wait it out.  
  
I walked down the street, hoping to run into the past. It didn't work. So I tried the whole go in and sit down where I was. Easier said than done. All the tables have been moved around, and I can't remember where we were sitting. So I head up to the balcony.  
  
I sat down up there, in the front row. I thought about why I may have jumped to now. Maybe it has something to do with amounts of time in each time. I sat and calculated that theory for about ten minutes before ruling it out. I'm not going to say it's completely random, but it's not easily figured.  
  
I sat, coming up with ideas then throwing them out, for about three hours. I'd given up hope. I'd come to NY, a dream I'd been following for years. I'd met the newsies, a dream for a few months. And I found Baby Bear, the real reason I'd come. But I lost her. I lost it all. So I decided to leave.  
  
"Mandy, right?" a sweet Irish voice came from behind me. I looked up and saw the theater looked new. YES! The past is back.  
  
"Yeah. Your name is Klover, right?" I replied after slight hesitation. This time hopping stuff is hard to get used to.  
  
"Yes, that's me." Good, I got her name right. "Why are you still here?" she asked. It took me a moment to remember how long I'd been here.  
  
"Um, it's hard to explain." She didn't saw anything for a moment, and I'd thought she'd dropped it.  
  
"Do you want to talk?" Nope, didn't drop it. Gotta give her an A for caring, though. "Just about life, you know?"  
  
"Um, OK. Life has gotten pretty complicated," I said hesitantly. She motioned toward a table, and I sat.  
  
"So, do we want you to start, or should I brake the ice with my story?" I don't know. I guess she should go first. It would be a lot less complicated.  
  
"I think maybe you should start." I said. "That is, if ya want this conversation to end sometime this week."  
  
"Ok, I guess I can start," she said, hesitantly, but on deeper inspection, I think she was more than willing to tell her tale. "I came from Ireland to help me aunt when I was fourteen, two years ago. She was starting a school for girls, and I was expected to help, and later attend. Well, four months after I arrived here, the school burned to the ground. Along with it, went my aunt and a girl. They all thought the girl was me."  
  
"Oh, my gosh. And I thought my story was bad." There was a pause. "I'm sorry, continue."  
  
"Well, I was out on the street alone and with nothing for a week. Then I saw some boys selling papers. At first they didn't notice me. After about an hour, one of them, Jack Kelly, asked if I had a job. He lent me two bits to start selling, and over time I paid him back. Then I met Medda. She said I have the look of a showgirl. Not the sluttie type, but the type for more sophisticated audiences. She trained me Friday nights for the past two months. Now she'll start to pay me for singing here on Fridays and Saturdays."  
  
"Wow, that's eventful. Rather eventful for a normal person, at least." I said.  
  
"So what's your story? Are you royalty or something other than a 'normal person'?" she asked, like I had just done some major faux pas.  
  
"No, it's not like that. I'm a normal person."  
  
"Well then explain."  
  
"This is gonna be a long night."  
  
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OK, I got a bit lazy at the end and just brought it to an end. I have allot on my mind at the moment. I hope you all don't mind my telling you how I stopped the real Ink from reading my ficcy.  
  
So we in front of our school, standing around. Boidie, Little Bit, Tuck and Baby were all there. Some other people were there, but I won't name them. Ink and another friend I won't name got off the bus and came over. I was being stupid and complaining how the only reviews I've had as of late are from personal friends(hint hint). He said that he would go and read my fic under some sort of alias and review just to make me feel better. I was like, "No no no, don't read my fanfic. You aren't aloud to read it!" and he still said that he was going to do it, so now Little Bit is gonna keep him busy when he's not at school. I really don't want him to read what I've written about him. Please don't say anything about this random insert, I just thought that you might find it funny, though now it sounds way stupid.  
  
And another stupid insert: in those scenes in cartoons where they're dreaming of money and gold coins rain down on their heads, don't you think it would hurt? With all those heavy coins hitting you and all. Oh, never mind.  
  
Thank you for reviewing, please, send more! I love reviews. I live off them. Thank you all. 


	16. I told Everything

Chapter 16:  
  
I told Klover everything. I ignored the looks of disbelief she gave me throughout the entire thing. It took all of at least an hour. As I said everything, I realized how crazy I was sounding. And that I was probably making the biggest mistake of my life by telling Klover, who isn't in this mess, everything.  
  
"You are truly insane," she said under her breath after I had finished.  
  
"I know I must sound that way, and I don't know why I told you everything flat out like that." She just stared at me. She stood and made a motion to leave. "Wait. I told you everything in good faith. I trust you with my secret, don't tell anyone."  
  
"O my God, you are serious. I'm finding this very unbelievable." She sat back down.  
  
"I thought it was unbelievable too, but it happened. Don't you find it strange that Baby and me just showed up out of the blue?" I asked. She's starting to believe me, but just a little. There's only one way to make her believe, and I'm not sure that it will work.  
  
I take a moment to go over the facts. Then I try a little trial and error. I reach across the table and grab her arm. The scene around us flickers, and the room is suddenly old and dusty.  
  
*gasp* "Is this.?" she starts, but I nod an answer before she finishes her question. I know the rest will be 'the future' and it is. So now she can't say I'm nuts. And I figured out how to get back, but when I let go, it's the past again.  
  
"Now do you believe me?" She nods. "So are you going to tell anyone?" She shook her head at that.  
  
"I just don't understand. Why?" she asks. I want to answer her, but I only shake my head.  
  
"I don't know. I couldn't tell you if I wanted to." Her look now was more than shock.  
  
"So you think it's OK to bring people from the 'past' into the future by means of what you don't even understand yet?" I'd never looked at it that way, but she's right. "I won't tell anyone, but I want to stay out of this." That I can agree with.  
  
"I was kinda hopin' you would help us figure out what's happenin'." She just looked at me.  
  
"I'll think about it," she said, and then left.  
  
________________________Later_________________________  
  
"I told Klover everything." I had gotten back to the Brooklyn LH late, but Ink and Spot had waited up for me. Tuck and Baby were at the Manhattan LH.  
  
"You did what?" Spot replied shocked. "How could you go and tell someone that you hardly know? I practically 'ad ta squeeze it outta ya!" He was putting major emphasis on what he was saying, but wasn't quite yelling.  
  
"I needed someone ta talk to," I replied simply. "Haven't you eva jus' needed someone that doesn't know you ta listen to yer story?"  
  
"But yoh story can screw up our future Mandy, don't you get that? Jus' us knowing about this could completely change the course o history," Spot said.  
  
"But it's impossible to change history. Don't ya know that theory?" I ask, and they obviously don't. "If you go back in time, an change somethin' so that somethin' in your life is different, you'd neva have gone back in da foist place. It's a vicious cycle, yes, but oh-so real."  
  
"You got a point dere, but what if what you change won't affect you?" Ink asked.  
  
"It will affect someone, and that someone will affect someone that affects someone else and it WILL affect you in some way-shape-or-form. Everyone knows someone that knows someone, so everyone knows everyone else, even if it's indirectly." I say, stating the rest of my well-thought-out-theory.  
  
"OK, so you say this was supposed ta happen?" Ink asks, glancing at Spot for approval of the question.  
  
"Well, I can't really say anything. But if I do anything that changes something in tha future, I'll be forced back to not do it, if ya undastand me." I've lost myself. "It's the destiny theory. Everything has a purpose."  
  
"Yeah, well then what's the purpose a this?" Spot asked.  
  
"I don't know yet. But we will find out. Eventually." I drop the subject at that.  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
EH, HOPS is being a lazy bum today. I've discovered who Patrick from the song is, though. It's Race. A boy named Patrick Longfellow at my school looks just like him. Coincidence? I think not. I also found out that Blink didn't really need the patch(the real Blink) and it was just a pity tool.  
  
I wish I could just tell you everything that happened yesterday, but that would result in flames cuz it has nothing to do with newsies. Well, it has something to do with Ink, but that's it. It involved kissing of the hand. I didn't hate it!  
  
Now, more reviews please. I'm looking at all these other fics that have half as many chapters as mine but twice as many reviews. That just says that my fic sucks. Please send more reviews. I luv all that review, though. Especially Klover's reviews, I luv reading them. There's all the other nice people, too. Like Firecracker and Soaker and Bulldogchick05. There's others, bit I said I'm a lazy bum, didn't I? Well, that's all I have ta say. Oh, and e-mails are nice, too. I like always respond (translation= I have no life). 


	17. In the now again

Chapter 17:  
  
We went to bed after our conversation without another word. I said we went to bed, but never said we slept. Not that we did anything, but sleep didn't come easy that night. I guess I did eventually sleep, because to wake up, you must have been asleep.  
  
"Hey, Mandy. How'd ya sleep?" Ink asked, shaking me slightly.  
  
"On me back, Ink," I replied groggily. Where have I heard that line before? Hm, is this another newsie moment?  
  
"Any new ideas about why all dis has happened?" He asked. I just shook my head. He yanked the blankets off of me and I sat up. "What? Ya tink I's jus' gonna let ya sleep the day away? Git up, we gots woik ta do."  
  
"That's my cigar. . ." I started singing. I'm starting to get this, these are the newsies from the movie, and then some. Why shouldn't I sing the songs? But Baby wasn't there to say, 'You'll steel anuda', so I was left hanging.  
  
"What's dat you was singin'?" Jack asked. I guess he stayed here last night, I hadn't noticed. "Sounds. . .familiar." At that I sang the first line of Santa Fe. "So's dat."  
  
"Oh, it's notin'," I said, laghing at the fact that he actually recognized the song.  
  
"We continued getting ready, which didn't take that long, and went and got our papers. Ink and I ran into Tuck an' Baby later. We wandered around Brooklyn aimlessly voicing our thoughts.  
  
"Maybe one a my parents was from one time an' da other from da other," Tuck said at some point.  
  
"I've never looked at it like that, but if that were it, why was that parent hoppin'?" I replied. It could have made a lot of sense, if it didn't lack that missing piece. "We'd have ta find him or her."  
  
Tuck backed down from that theory. I honestly don't think she wants to find her family. We turned a corner and saw Spot and Boidie and Little Bit ahead of us, walking in our direction.  
  
"A pair a new shoes wit' matchin' laces," I started.  
  
"A poimanent box at da Sheep's Head races," Baby continued, and to our shock, Spot sang his part.  
  
"A porcelain tub wit' boilin' water," he sang, just like in the movie.  
  
"A Sataday. . ." Baby cut herself off at that. "Spot, how'd ya know da next line?"  
  
"I dunno," he said nonchalantly, "It came ta me in a dream." God that's creepy. Baby and me looked at each other, worried a bit.  
  
"What does knowing the woids to a song got ta do wit' anytin?" Ink asked, confused.  
  
"The song doesn't exist yet." Simple. It won't be made for 92 years. That is odd.  
  
"What do ya mean? Doesn't exist. You was singin' it wasn't you?" Spot looked at us and suddenly remembered that we're from 2004. "Oh, forgot that."  
  
"Baby, I need ta talk ta you," I said.  
  
"Okay, talk," she replied. Idget.  
  
"Over dere," I said, pulling her rather than pointing. "This can't be good," I said when we got there. "Something is seriously wrong with this picture. They shouldn't know these songs."  
  
"And? What, it's not like there's a rip in time," she said assuringly. "Right?" she said again, looking for reassurance.  
  
"I don't know. All I know is that this should not be happening. None of it."  
  
"Shit!" I looked at her with confusion. "Your accent, clothes, it's the year 2004. I think."  
  
"Crap. It seems like every time something big happens we get thrown around time zones." I looked around, there were some guys that looked like gang members deeper in the alley. "We should go."  
  
We walked out of the alley and immediately looked down the street for everybody else. They were gone. A trashcan behind us clanged.  
  
"Run guys," Tuck yelled. The guys had heard the can fall over and saw us. You can guess who they were. My throat still hurt from our last encounter.  
  
We ran, they perused. I guess this is getting pretty routine. We fly to the now, run into thugs, run away from thugs. OK, we can do the next thing in the routine, get saved from thugs.  
  
"Three, two, one," Tuck counted down slowly, then grabbed my arm and yanked me into an alley. I grabbed onto Baby and pulled her along with us.  
  
"What are you doing?" Baby asked.  
  
"I know these streets a lot better than you," Tuck said. "What would you do without me?" she asked, grabbing onto a ladder that led to a fire escape. It didn't come down as expected, but she pulled herself up. I helped Baby up, and followed quickly after. I knew cheerleading would come in handy.  
  
"So, do you actually know those guys?" I asked when I figured it was safe to talk.  
  
"I think one of them is affected by the hop, too. I've seen him in both times." I stared at her. Another one? This is impossible. "His name is Delancy, I think."  
  
"Delancy?" Baby and I asked at the same time.  
  
"Yeah, you recognize the name?" I sure as hell recognize that name.  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
OK, so I need to apologize for the lack of update. Major lack. I blame writers block. I blame Ink for my writer's block. Is all his fault. And the game that was played at banquet, but let's not go into detail. A lot has happened in my life. I couldn't think of newsies because newsies leads to my fanfic leads to Ink leads to all the things I hate him for. Also, I was a bit discouraged by the number of reviews. I live off them, don't you understand that? I told you about my lack of life, right? And, at the moment, I need someone to talk to about the bad things that have happened, so if you feel sympathetic, please e-mail me. This chapter was torcher to type, believe me. I had to wait till my parents left the house (my grades suck and I'm grounded cuz of them). On top of that, there's the whole Ink problem. Please review.  
  
Klover, of course I love your reviews. They're so cut and funny and make me feel happy even when I'm coming to the sad realization that Ink will never like me.  
  
Little Bit, Sorry, I know you was supposed ta write this chapter, but you take too long. Maybe next time I have writer's block. If it's ice-cream of the future, why are we eating it now? Are we noticing a relation to my fic and dippin' dots?  
  
And, you should all go read A Break In Time by Kate Lawrence. It's really good. 


	18. Things Change Drastically

Chapter 18:  
  
"Delancey, he tried to kill Spot an' me once," I said after a shocked moment. Another link between past and future, who'd have thunk?  
  
"Wait, so he is the same Delancey from the movie?" Baby asked and I nodded. "But I don't think he was marked under the real characters list."  
  
"What movie?" Tuck asked, but we ignored her.  
  
"Me neither. So that means he was never supposed to be then." That felt funny saying that. This is getting far too weird, but you never know. It could be all over now.  
  
"What movie?" Again, we ignored Tuck.  
  
"So he could be the cause of all this?" Baby said, shocked at our discovery. I nodded a yes and we all lapped into silence, broken by. . .  
  
"WHAT MOVIE!" Tuck was hard to ignore this time. We were startled by her loud display.  
  
"Newsies," I answer. This obviously doesn't ring a bell, so I continue, "It's a movie about the newsboy strike of 1899. It has a lot of the real newsies in it."  
  
The look on Tuck's face was priceless. Just this "eh, duh" retarded look. I started laughing. Hard. I do that under pressure.  
  
"What?" Baby said after a moment. By that point I was rolling around on the ground. I tried talking, but that made it worse. "OK, laugh, why don't ya. Just remember, we still don't know if this flipping rip in time is done. We could end up there any-"  
  
Cut off by another hop. I see what she means. The problem with this one, there isn't the fire escape that there had been, just a bare wall.  
  
"Shit, we're stuck." Well that was obvious. Tuck seemed to have a talent for stating the obvious.  
  
"Hey, there they are!" a faint yell from the street bellow came. I recognize that voice. . .  
  
"Klover?!?" There was a flash of recognition from the other two stranded girls, but that was it.  
  
"Yes!" she called back up. It was good to hear that Irish accent. "How'd you get up there?"  
  
"There was a fire escape, but then we hopped back and it was gone." I said calmly. Could Tuck and Baby offer no help?  
  
"Ok then, we'll jist 'ave to git you down."  
  
Before long we were back on the ground. That Klover has skills. She was able to pursued a resident of the apartment building we were perched upon to let us go through and down the stairs.  
  
"So why were you up there in the first place?" Klover asked. We spent 20 minutes explaining all of what happened, and to my shock, she believed me.  
  
"Delancey, you say?" she asked once we were finished. "I've never heard that name before."  
  
"We have reason to believe he hops." Hadn't I already said that?  
  
I heard a giggle coming from a nearby alley. Then I heard a guy laugh(the giggle had been female). As we came to it's opening, I peered in. I didn't like what I saw.  
  
"You PIG!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Never mind the pain of my half-healed throat, I was now suffering from the pain of a much deeper wound. I was suffering from a broken heart.  
  
"Mandy, wait. I can explain," Ink yelled after me. I had already subconsciously started running. I didn't care where, just anywhere that wasn't here, or even now, if I could help it.  
  
His footsteps were fast approaching mine. Damn, I hadn't anticipated his speed. I just pushed myself to go faster.  
  
"It's not what you think," he whispered breathlessly. Had we not been running for a solid five minutes pushing ourselves to our full potential I was sure it would have been a yell. Then he did something quite unexpected.  
  
He lunged, wrapping his long arms around my waist. We went down in a pile, in the middle of a street. I looked up just to see a speeding cart wiz by just in front of my face.  
  
"You need to let me explain," he breathed under his breath.  
  
"What's there to explain?" I questioned. We had both struggled to our feet. He reached out to put a reassuring hand on my cheek, but I slapped it away. "Go ta hell." I punched him squarely in the jaw, forcing him back a few steps and ultimately down onto the makeshift early 20th century sidewalk.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said to me as I walked away. "It's not what you think."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well if it ain't what I think, den you wouldn't be apologizing." I turned to look at him, just verifying that he had no answer, and saw the lone tear running down his face. "You made the mistake." I went off again, leaving my now ex-boyfriend crying on the pavement. Do I feel guilty?  
  
"Not a chance," I whisper to myself. "No, he did this. And I was being stupid thinking that anyone would actually like me long enough to 'be together' for any measurable amount of time.  
  
Spot was coming in my direction. 'Great,' I thought, 'Like I really need to deal with this now.' I started crying before he even got to me. I hadn't expected him to do what he did next. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close to his chest, his height making him the perfect shoulder to cry on.  
  
"It's OK, baby," he said, planting a small, tender kiss on the top of my head. "It's OK, baby." It took me the second time that he had said it for me to realize what he was saying. No, he's with Boidie, this can't happen.  
  
"No," I said, pushing away from him. His arms reluctantly released me. "You," I paused, "are with Boidie. You can't do that." He just stared down at me in a way that told me that he was itching to have his arms around me again. "What is this? National cheat-on-your-girlfriend day?"  
  
He stood there, silent. I turned, whipping my eyes, and started away. The reality of it all was hard-hitting. I just turned down an offer to be comforted by Spot Colin, the much sought after newsie of my group of the newsie-obsessed. And why? For fear of losing the friendship of a girl that already hates me. Damn I feel like an idiot today.  
  
I walked, with no real destination. I can't go back to the Brooklyn LH. I've scared the crap out of the Manhattan newsies. There isn't a place to go. I looked up at a building as I passed it. I almost screamed with relief.  
  
I walked in and asked the man at the desk if there were any empty bunks. He said yes, but I'd have the boys to deal with. I don't care about that at the moment. I ran up the stairs into the empty room of bunks and collapsed into among the first beds that didn't look occupied. I was dead asleep before I hit the pillow.  
  
___________________LATER____________________  
  
"Eh, goil." Someone was poking me in the ribs, trying to wake me. I groaned and rolled over to face my attacker. I screamed.  
  
"OK, ok, Coffee, she's awake," some other boy two beds down said.  
  
"Did ya know that you's asleep in me bed?" the one called Coffee asked after I had finished a good thirty-second scream.  
  
"Um, no, I-I'm sorry," I stuttered a bit. "I thought it was empty."  
  
"Well, it was when you went to sleep in it." I made no move to leave the bed. "So are ya gonna move. Or am I gonna 'ave ta sleep in da bed wit you?"  
  
"I'm, uh, sorry." I scrambled out of the bed, wondering what had possessed me to sign into the Queens Newsboy LH? "Um, could you point out an empty bed?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. But foist, what's your name?" He asked. I didn't really want to tell him, but couldn't find a logical reason not to.  
  
"Mandy." He nodded and gave an approving grunt-type-thing, then pointed to the bed just next to his. I climbed in and hid beneath the thin covers. I fell asleep easily, despite the boys' movements and talking.  
  
___________________DREAM SEQUENCE____________________  
  
"NO, Ink, don't go!" I was screaming to a figure walking away from me. "Don't leave me!"  
  
Then, suddenly, Ink was the one chasing me, and I was running. I couldn't be caught. I had to get away. But there was no escape.  
  
"Mandy," a voice came. I was in another dream now, one of those classic foggy dreams. "Mandy, are you listening?" I recognize that voice. It's Tuck.  
  
"Tuck? Where are we?" I question. "Why can't I see you?"  
  
"I know everything. I can make it all end for you." What? Tuck knows what's going on? "All you have to do is ask. And trust this dream, you know more than you believe already."  
  
That last line wasn't Tuck at all. It sounded like me. How could I know more than I know I know? Does Tuck really know what's going on?  
  
"Now go. You can't stay here."  
  
"Tell me more. I don't understand!" I yelled into the emptiness. The scene flickered into an image of Tuck and Delancey talking to each other. They were saying. . .  
  
___________________________END SEQUENCE_________________________  
  
"Rise an' shine, Mandy baby!" someone was saying. Then this someone started poking me in the ribs. I opened my eyes and the blur of the room slowly came into focus. "Dat's a good goil!"  
  
"Coffee, right?" he nodded. He was short. I could tell that lying down. Probly fifteen-ish. Nice arms, I made a note of that. Very nice arms. He had a sort of coffee-and-crème complexion. 'so I guess that's where his name came from'.  
  
"So, ya gonna sell da pape's?" he asked cautiously and I nodded. "Den ya bettah get up. They sell out fast in dese parts."  
  
"Um, do ya think ya might be able ta show me around here?" I asked. "I'm not exactly from Queens."  
  
"Sure I'll show ya around. You tell me your story, I'll tell ya mine, an' we can even make a few bucks doin' it. Sounds fun."  
  
"How'd ya know I's gotta story?" I ask nervously, thinking that maybe he knows something about me.  
  
"Here in Queens, we all gots a story. Normally dark, not like in Manhattan an' Brooklyn."  
  
"Well, I'm not sure I'd want ta tell ya my story just yet. I mean, I don't know ya dat well."  
  
"Dat's fine wit me. Now, hurry up, half da house is gone already."  
  
I climbed stiffly out of the bed. How long had I run to get here? My legs hurt like hell.  
  
"I's ready," I announced once I'd finally gotten my feet firmly on the ground. Without another word we left down the stairs and out the door, towards an opening in the wall with boys spilling out into the cobblestone street. "Ain't dere any goil newsies on dis side?" I wonder out loud.  
  
"Nah, mostly deys all move ta Manhattan because that's a much nicer neighborhood. I recon you should probly do da same in da near future." What, run back to what I'm running from? I guess I can't hold it against him because he hasn't heard my story. I don't think he ever will.  
  
"What, ya think I can't handle a little pressure?" I ask mockingly.  
  
"You was runnin' from sometin' last night," he pointed out. "People don't run from a poifectly nice environment, do dey?"  
  
"I guess you's right. I was runnin'. But it's different. It's. . ." He cuts me off.  
  
"I bet it's a guy," he says without hesitation. By my dumbfounded look, I must have revealed that I had no idea how he knew. "Wit goils here, it's always a guy. Queens just happens ta be the direction they run in."  
  
"What's most girls' stories?" I ask on a whim.  
  
"What's your story?" is his response.  
  
"I'm not tellin' just yet." The key word here being 'yet'.  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
Woohoo, long chapter. Worked me butt off ta write this baby, too. And, of course, all of this was written when inspiration struck there for completely screws over all of my future plans. I think the fun will be in trying to write this mess back into where it should be.  
  
Now, I apologize again for not updating for so long*ducks from friends' rotten fruit*(damn there poifect aim). I've been grounded (still am, mind you) and having writer's block on top of that. And to add to this whole mess, there have been problems involving the real Ink(my falling out of obsession with him). I am emotionally tied up and probably getting myself royally in trouble , all for you guys!  
  
Please send reviews. Do I really have to repeat that I love reviews and need them to live? Well, good or bad. And I am aware that this chapter got the plot nowhere, but hey, what's wrong with a little drama? OK, love you all. TTFN. 


	19. Back to Brooklyn For Lunch

Chapter 19:  
  
"So, are ya gonna say anytin'?" Coffee asked after the long silence that happened after we'd finished selling. I had no intention of it, but since he asked, I have to.  
  
"Well, is there really that much ta be said?" I question as my response.  
  
"No, I guess not." There's a long pause while he thinks of something to say. "'Ave I mentioned that you're a natural when it comes ta sellin?"  
  
"Only 'bout fifty times in the last twenty minutes!" I say, breaking off at the end laughing. I like Coffee. He's nice and sweet, and always knows what to say. He's two years older than me, and two years is too much of an age difference. I can't look at him that way, but he makes for a wonderful friend. Besides, Pig boy and I aren't officially un-official just yet. I won't sink to his level. "Is there a reason you haven't introduced me to any of the oder newsboys here yet?"  
  
"I told ya earlier, I don't think you shout stay here long enough ta really git ta know anybody." Sure, I believe him. "What you say about lunch at Tibby's?"  
  
"There's a Tibby's in Queens?" I ask, hoping the answer is a yes. I know of two Tibby's, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Neither of which would be too smart at the moment.  
  
"Nah, Brooklyn's, I mean." Fudge, how do I tell him I don't want to/can't go back to Brooklyn just yet? I mean, without having to explain the whole situation.  
  
"No. Not Brooklyn," I say. I pause to think up a good reason. "I can't go back ta Brooklyn just now."  
  
"So a piece of the mysterious story is revealed," Coffee announces triumphantly. "I knew that if I kept at it long enough you'd reveal something about yourself." He chuckled at his recent discovery. "Now I's got material dat I can use for bribery." I look at him, confused.  
  
"What are you gonna bribe me for?" I ask after a moment. He just grins in response. I don't think I like that grin. "Seriously, what are ya gonna do?"  
  
"Well, if ya don't tell me da rest of your story, I'll bring you ta Brooklyn." His grin widens. "Da best part is, you won't know till we're dere." I knew there was a reason I didn't like that grin.  
  
"Fine, on ta Brooklyn!" I say. What the hell am I doing? I can't do this. I make a note of the weight of the coins in my pocket. I'd suppose there was a dollar and some other change. Not bad. "But foist," I start, bumping him towards a hat shop, "I need ta buy somethin'."  
  
After browsing the selection, which isn't too much for my budget, I settled on a not-so-used black and maroon cabby hat. It cleaned me out completely.  
  
"So you needed a hat why?" Coffee asked as we were walking out of the store. I was busy tucking my long-ish blonde hair under it. No hair, no recognition, right?  
  
"I don't want ta be recognized, so I'm hiding my most distinguishing feature." No comprende. "I'm hiding my hair ta make me less recognizable." Now he gets it!  
  
"So your guy is in Brooklyn?" I nod a yes.  
  
"Guys, actually. There's two of them," I begin. "With my luck, though, they'll both show up while I'm there."  
  
"Are ya sure ya wanna go? I was jist kidding about forcing you." Aw, he does care. That's cute. But he's not allowed to be cute. Stop that!  
  
"Yeah. I's gonna have ta face dem someday." I'm having doubts, though. "Why Brooklyn, though? Do ya know somebody there?"  
  
"Yeah. A guy named Ink." I paled. "He used ta live in our LH. He moved ta Brooklyn because he got inta too many fights an' ended up expelled from our LH." He finally made a note of my lack of color. "You know 'im?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," I just barely squeak.  
  
"Aw, don't tell me he's da one you's runnin' from?" I nod. "Well, I can't make ya do dis if ya really don't wanna. I don't want ta put you in a situation that makes you uncomfortable."  
  
"N-no, it's fine." Great, stuttering. That's great.  
  
"OK, I's jist makin' sure." Gosh, he keeps on making himself look better and better. Now I can't get out of the inevitable.  
  
"Why's you bein' so nice ta me?" I ask, stepping in front of him to make sure he stops. "Not even Spot acted like this when I foist met him."  
  
"I dunno, maybe I's jist a nice guy."  
  
"Maybe." That was the end of any real conversation until we got just outside of Brooklyn.  
  
"Coffee, I ain't so sure of this."  
  
"Sorry, Mandy, we's too close ta turn back now."  
  
We walked off the bridge and into the danger zone. If everything's gonna be OK, then why can't I get rid of this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach?  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________ Ok, so the chapter's short. Sue me. May I point out the fact that I am grounded? So, I don't got much to say today. Just that everything I had planned for this has completely gone to hell. This could be interesting.  
  
Thanks to all those who review. And to those who wonder what will happen next, I'm right there with you. And, if anyone has an MST of my story, I'd love to read it. More reviews, but you all know that. TTFN 


	20. No title this time

Chapter 20:  
  
So, back to Brooklyn we go's. I'm losing confidence every step that I take. What if he recognizes me? I don't think I can handle it. If we run into him, what could I do?  
  
"So, how close are ya ta Ink?" I ask just as we're getting closer to Tibby's.  
  
"Not too close," Coffee answered. "We got inta some fights back at da LH."  
  
"So if you're not so close, why are ya comin' ta see 'im?" Sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  
  
"I dunno, really. Tibby's has good food?" Great, just great. We came to Brooklyn on a whim. That is so smart, considering I don't want to see anyone in Brooklyn. (Please note the sarcasm)  
  
"Coffee," I start. "You do realize that every person I DON'T want to run into at the moment lives in Brooklyn," I pause for a second or two, "Or spends much of there time here, right?"  
  
"Uh, sorry?" He says in an attempt to make it better. No such luck.  
  
"No use turnin' back now, huh?" I mutter under my breath, only because I've suddenly lost the ability to breath. Ink is just walking in the door. With a little luck coming my way, Baby and Tuck are coming up the street.  
  
"Baby!" I call out. Recognition isn't immediate, but they figure it out soon enough.  
  
"Mandy!" Tuck cries. "We was so worried about ya. Where were you?" They worried? This is a shock to me.  
  
"It would take too long to explain. For now, let's just say I'm stayin' in Queens." They just stared at me in disbelief. "I'll explain more latah." I made a quick look around for Tuck, but didn't see her. "Baby, where'd Tuck go?"  
  
"What're ya talkin' about? She's right. . ." Baby paused, looking around. "Was right here. Maybe she went in with Dice."  
  
"Dice? Who's Dice?" I ask, completely clueless to other newsies that I haven't met and weren't in the movie.  
  
"Dice is Blink's previously un-hoid of twin," Baby responded. "I didn't know about him till da oder night, an' I been sleepin' in 'is LH for a month."  
  
Now Boidie and Spot were coming up the street towards Tibby's, and us. I grabbed Coffee and Baby and yanked them into the nearest alley, about two feet away.  
  
"Lemme guess, da oder guy?" I nodded. "Wait, dat's Spot Conlon. You got yohself in trouble wit' Spot?"  
  
"Yeah. Would you like me ta explain?" He nodded, and I could tell that Baby was interested. "Well, it's complicated, so I ain't gonna."  
  
"So, ya gonna go in?" Baby asked after Spot and Boidie had entered Tibby's.  
  
"Deyr'e both in dere, I'm not goin' in," I state firmly, but not firmly enough. Before I know it, Baby has grabbed my arm and is dragging me to the door. Coffee is being no help.  
  
"You's got your hat, dey won't recognize ya." Sure, I believe her. But I go anyway, using my free hand to pull my hat farther down my head.  
  
When we walk in, the entire room turns in our direction. Shit. Ink is gitting up and coming in our direction.  
  
"Whatchyu doin', Coffee?" Ink says coldly, "Tryin' ta unload your goil newsies like always?"  
  
"Nah, just bringin' me new goil ta lunch," Coffee replies, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "Ya got anythin' against that?"  
  
I look up so I can see Ink's face. Then and only then is when he realizes what's happened.  
  
"Mandy?" Ink starts. "Is dat you?"*pulls down hat again* "What are ya doin' wit dis scum a Queens?"  
  
"Ink, we's not. . ." I lose my sentence. "We's not together, not like dat." I push Coffee's arm off of me and take a step away.  
  
"I don't believe ya," Ink says. "Why won't ya look me in da eyes?" He pulls off my hat, allowing my hair to fall down, and tilts my chin up that teeny bit to look at him. "You's lyin', you is his goil."  
  
"Ink, I told ya, I ain't wit' Coffee." He releases my chin and my eyes fall to his chest, I can't stand looking at those inky black eyes. Their too cold. "I jist needed ta get away for a bit."  
  
"Yeah, sure." He turned to walk away, but I guess he saw what Coffee did out of the corner of his eye. He'd sliped his arm around me again and pulled me possessively close to his body.  
  
"Coffee, no," I said, trying to step away, but he held fast.  
  
"She said NO!" Ink said, spinning on his heel suddenly and lunging at Coffee. It made him let go of me and practically throw me away from him. Ink was throwing punches left and right, but Coffee was countering with just as many. What was I supposed to do?  
  
"Stop it!" I screamed at the both of them, jumping into the middle of the brawl. I can hold my own in a fight, normaly, but they were intent on keeping me out. So I naturally planted myself firmly between them. I caught a stray punch in the stumoch, hen after U doubled over, caught a hook in my jaw. I flew to one side, making a point of screaming, and that broke them up.  
  
"Mandy, I-I'm sorry," Ink said breathlessly.  
  
"I-I didn't mean to. . ." Coffee said, and they both rushed to my sides.  
  
"You know what?" I said, pushing the two of them just far enough away from me to stand up. "You are BOTH pigs." I glanced over at Spot, who had looked over to see the fight. "You ar a pig , too."  
  
"Spot, what's she talkin' about?" Boidie asked him.  
  
"Ah, Boidie. . ." She apparently suspected something, because she smacked him in the face and stormed out the door. She got even angrier when he didn't chase her. Stupid Spot.  
  
"I can hold my own, an' I don't need either of ya." I walked out the door after Boidie, only I was trailed by the three pigs. "I said GO AWAY!"  
  
"Uh, Mandy?" Boidie said, her voice coming from an alley, about a block from Tibby's. I'd lost the pig-boys.  
  
"Yeah, Boidie," I said walking over to her and sitting down next to the weeping girl. "What is it?"  
  
"Did Spot, ya know, try anythin' wit ya?" Should I tell her the truth? I don't think she would be able to at the moment. A lie will work fine.  
  
"No, he jist tried ta comfort me after I caught Ink in da act, and took it a bit farther den he should've, dat's all." She wasn't sold just yet. "He was being a good guy, honest."  
  
"Ok, I guess you's right." She paused. "Well, since you helped clean up dis matter wit Spot, I should help wit Ink."  
  
"No, you don't gotta do dat. I saw what I saw and I know what I saw."  
  
"No, I really think I should tell ya. It really wasn't what it looked like."  
  
"OK then, explain."  
  
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OK, sorry to leave you like this, but this chapter is too hard to wrap up. We had a three-day weekend, so you should've expected more from me. Oh well, I'm a lazy bum. Sadly, I didn't get many reviews from people for the last chapter. Oh well, I did get a bunch from the previous one. Let's hope we do better this time.  
  
I'm serious about wanting an MST. Really. So, if anybody has one for me, no matter how mean, I want to read it. E-mail me, please. Thanks to all those who review. Would you do more if I promised shout outs? I could do that. Well, I gotta go now.  
  
Personal noe: Ink is a pig, but now I'm his sister, have two nieces, live in a hospital that's really a mansion, and have another sibling that wasn't there before. The irony is, Ink's 'daughter', Little Bit, is older than him, and I'm a white girl, Ink is Mexican. Can anyone make sense of this? 


	21. This chap is my friends' fault

Chapter 21:  
  
"Well, I don't know if I can," Boidie started. "Ya see, it's complicated an' I wasn't there so I can't say anythin' with full confidence."  
  
"Well then, what do you think happened?" I asked, annoyed that she said she knew, but didn't.  
  
"Well, she was pickin' on 'im," she said. "She stole 'is hat and ran off, it was only natural for him ta chase her, right? And da rest I ain't sure of. What exactly did ya see?"  
  
"I saw a girl pinned unda Ink's arms," I said. This sounded really lame. Should I really have freaked over that? "In an alley. What was I s'posed ta think?"  
  
"So ya nevah saw any kissin' or anythin' like dat?" I shook my head. "Den he's innocent."  
  
"I just," I started but choked. "I just can't believe dat. It would be too poifect a him ta not have been doin' what I thought he was doin'. An', either way, it was floitin'."  
  
"So, guys are gonna floit, deal wit' it." I guess I should take her advise. We dropped the subject at that.  
  
"Come wit' me ta sign outta da LH so dey don't charge me for time I wasn't dere." With that, we stood up, Boidie wiped her eyes, and we mad the short walk back to the LH.  
  
"Mandy! We was wonderin' when you'd come back," Baby gasped as we came up. Everyone there looked a bit flustered. Race was there, and he ducked behind Baby, probably remembering the fade-in fade-out routine of not so long ago. Ink, Spot, and Coffee all looked, well, they looked. I can't decipher their emotions from their faces. Little Bit was there, looking slightly clueless, and so was Blink.  
  
"Have you seen Tuck?" Blink asked. I guess he didn't realize she was still with Dice. His question was directed more at Racetrack than anyone else. Race suddenly had a very sly grin rising to his lips.  
  
"Ah, I tink she might be ovah in dat alley down da street," he said mysteriously. "Having some alone time wit Dice." Blink's temper flared with that last sentence.  
  
"With Dice?!?" he erupted very loudly. He ran down the street, towards the nearest alley. Naturally, we all followed him. These people LIVE off fights.  
  
We got there and saw Tuck and Dice pulling apart quickly after seeing Blink come into the alley. Tuck wiped her mouth. MY GOD! I'd never seen her in that light.  
  
"What the hell are ya doin', Dice?" Blink stated, shoving Tuck out of his way to get a clearer shot at his face. I swear the thud that his fist made slamming into Dice's cheek was audible.  
  
"NO!" Tuck screamed. "Git off 'im, STOP!" She threw herself at the fight, leaping on to Blink's back and wrapping her arms around his neck in an attempt to pull him off. He threw her off, and immediately the fight ended. That is, after they all heard Tuck hit the ground, hard.  
  
"Tuck, are you OK?" they both said in unison. Darned freaky twin thing. Tuck just got to her feet, walked up to Blink, and kicked him in the shin, saying:  
  
"I don't like you, live wit it." Then she proceeded to Dice, and wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, just to prove a point.  
  
"Well, I feel like crap," Blink said, after bouncing up and down on one foot for about a minute, nursing the newly forming bruise. Hey, I would, too.  
  
I started to cry after a minute. Couldn't say why, maybe it's life smacking me in the face with a cold hand. Yeah, that's my excuse. Both Ink and Coffee stepped up on either side of me to comfort me, and Bit put a hand on my shoulder. Baby Tuck and Dice had walked off, and Spot wasn't doing anything because of the fact that Boidie was standing right beside him.  
  
The second the thought of home registered in my mind, I thought about going back to my time. Shouldn't have done that. The scene changed, more smoothly this time, and Spot and Boidie dissolved into the scenery.  
  
"What the. . .?" Coffee said, but got cut off by me.  
  
"Aw, crap. I can't handle this right now."  
  
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Ok, this was a way short chapter. I'm trying to work everything together, and with all of my friends screaming at me incessantly because I didn't do MY ff how THEY wanted me to, it's getting pretty hard. I forget most of it really fast, so I know that I satisfied Tuck by allowing her to kick Blink in the shins, and Bit should be happy because she was included. I missed a lot. Sorry guys.  
  
Shout outs! (yes, at some point I said I hate these, but who cares?)  
  
Little Bit- Do I really need to shout out to you? Ah-well, I will anyways. Yes, I realized that your name was changed, I just didn't know to what. And do all these NORMAL people really need to hear our problems?  
  
Race da Hottie- I so did the chapter right! Just not to your specifications. After reading this one, are you happy?  
  
Imagenlet- Thank you for every last one of your kind reviews! Yes, most friends would. mine would just chew me out and play the guilt card. As for my personal note, it's not really bad. It's just this thing that everyone is doing at school, and naturally I got dragged in. Oh well. All in fun.  
  
Klutz- I can't wait to see, either. Honestly. I've quit planning this and just go with it (when my friends aren't forcing me to do it their way). The only thing that stands is how it will end. 


	22. Oh crap

Chapter 22:  
  
"Mandy?" Coffee said. "Do you know what's goin' on?"  
  
"Yeah, I do," I replied, earning a questioning stare from Coffee. "I s'pose I should explain, shouldn't I?" I looked up just past where Coffee, Ink, and Bit were standing. I didn't like what I saw, and Bit apparently noticed the flash of fear in my eyes and turned around.  
  
"No time, I think we should go now," she squeaked in a whisper. So she's not the idiot she comes off as. "I don't like the what those guys is lookin' at us." And more of her IQ is revealed.  
  
"Yeah, we gotta get out fast," Ink and I said at once. Both of the boys had detached themselves from me. Ah, blissful freedom.  
  
We turned and started in the opposite direction, walking quickly but still acting natural. As natural as three people from 1900 and a girl from now, but has 'visited' the past, that is. Crap, forgot about the alley part, and how many end with dead ends.  
  
"Sure would be nice to have Tuck here with us, wouldn't it?" I said, forgetting that none of them knew what had happened.  
  
"Why?" Bit asked. "Tuck is pro'ly just as clueless as we. . ." She stopped, realizing what had happened. "You mean Tuck knows about this?"  
  
"Yeah, she knows just about as much as us," Ink filled in, not allowing me the chance to respond.  
  
"So you know about it too?" Coffee asked Ink. Did neither of them realize we were walking deeper and deeper into the trap? "And there's a reason you failed to tell me?"  
  
"And me?" piped in Bit.  
  
"Yeah. Do you really think it's that normal to be from a hundred four years in the future?" This earned me two understanding nods. "That's what I thought."  
  
"So what made us jump this time?" Ink said.  
  
"I don't know." I stopped to think about all the ways I'd hopped. "Off the top of my head, I think I jumped most times I got nervous."  
  
"I don't know if you're right about that, but it could be that," Ink said. I'm not sure that he liked that idea, with his first jump our first kiss.  
  
"I wonder what Birdie-that felt funny saying that- and Spot thought of what they saw," Coffee input. He was taking to this whole time hop thing very well. A bit too well, but that's just me.  
  
"What do you think of this?" I asked. Ink obviously had the same idea, as he had started something but was cut off in his first syllable.  
  
"I think it's awesome," he replied. Did that word exist back then.  
  
"Awesome?" Bit asked. Question answered. "I'd say freaky." Ok, maybe not.  
  
We had gotten to the wall at the very end of the alley. It really didn't take us too long, but we were talking fast and could fit all that information into the time span of that short walk. Long-ish for an alley, though.  
  
Now Delancey and his gang were approaching our halted mass. They looked pissed. There was a boy behind him, his right hand man I assume, that had a bandaged nose. Oops. Now that I think of it, they both resemble the Delancey brothers of the past. OMG! Is that possible? I did break the other one's nose, it's too coincidental.  
  
"Eh, Mandy, we's got a bone ta pick wit you," the leader said. Oscar, I'd assume.  
  
"How'd you know her name?" Coffee asked.  
  
"We go way back, don't we, Mandy?" he said, leaning on a stick I hadn't noticed before. "Way back."  
  
"Who is he?" Coffee needs to shut up.  
  
Crap, we're trapped. There's no way out. There are more of us, yes, but equally more of them. This could get ugly.  
  
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That's my update for the moment. This one was fully mine, no help from friends. Oh, just so Baby won't kill me, she is 'with' Race. And to my other buddies, Coffee IS Josh, but not because I like him (which I don't) but because he fit the part and I am so creative that I can't create my own characters. Shout-outs!  
  
Klutz- Yes, I think it's better without the friends' help, but make them happy once, and I hope they leave me alone no *grumbles* Anyways, thanks bunches for reviews.  
  
Bit- Yes you are, darling (kidding). You just didn't do anything about it (in your own word, DER!). Klover gets a bigger part for now cuz she can't murder me should I do something wrong with her character.  
  
Imaginelet- Yes, that was short. It's hard trying to compile all of that junk into one chapter and not turn it into mindless dribble. I don't know who/when she'll choose, depends on how reality works. . .  
  
Racetrack da hottie- I'll talk ta ya in person.  
  
Molly- You still haven't replied, what is up with that? Never mind that. Nice to hear you don't want to instruct me how to write. Thanks for reviewing. 


	23. Feelin' Lucky?

Chapter 23:  
  
"So, Mandy," Delancey #1 said, "How ya been since last we met?"  
  
I'd barely heard the question, as I was sizing the thugs up and planning an escape rout. He didn't like me not responding.  
  
"Mandy, you answer me when I talk ta you!" he bellowed. Great, now he's pissed. Big question in flashing lights, will we get out of this alive?  
  
We were backing up against the wall. No way out. I could feel the deep grooves of old grout worn away between the bricks.  
  
Wait! That's it. We could climb over, if we were quick enough. Climb and run. Add something new to this old hat routine. Coffee apparently gets a similar idea and gives me a look that says work with me.  
  
So I step forward, away from the wall. My intention is to distract them while the others plan. God I hope Bit can pull it off. I'm not worried a bit about Ink and Coffee. Hell, I'd much rather see Ink fall off half way up the wall and get mauled by the mob of stupid skinheads.  
  
"Is this a," Delancy #2 takes a pause to add a dramatic gasp, "Surender?" I just walk straight forward to face Delancey #1 eye-to-eye, or as close as my height will allow me to.  
  
"Can it Morris!" the one that wasn't Morris screamed. I'd take him to be Oscar. Weren't any other Delancys, were there? "That dere's Morris, and me? I'm Oscar." Score! I was right, two points for the Mandy!  
  
"Oh, and there's a reason that you're giving introductions?" I say, giving him a defiant stare. A trademark of my own.  
  
"Well, baby, I'd like to have you apologize using his real name." Proof positive, they are one in the same with the Delancey brothers.  
  
"And who's ta say I plan on apologizing?" I ask, my stare unwavering.  
  
"My little buddy over here," he replied, just barely flashing the blade of a knife. It still had a stain on it from last time. The wound wasn't fully healed.  
  
"We've met, and we don't get on well," I said simply.  
  
There was a whistle from behind me. Way up behind me. It was my signal to run.  
  
So what did I do? I kicked Oscar where Oscar don't like getting kicked and turned to find Coffee hanging half way down the wall with his hand extended in my direction. I took his offer and we put his arms to work. He swung me all the way to the top of that wall. I was amazed.  
  
I jumped down on the other side and hit the ground running. Bit and Ink were already way ahead of me, and I heard Coffee's footsteps close at my heals. With any luck we'd run straight into a rip and go flying out into the early 20th century. I'm feeling lucky today.  
  
And so, Bit fell as her long guy shorts suddenly turned into a dress and comfortable sneakers were made into old-fashioned boots. I stopped to help her up, but we kept running anyway, not letting ourselves forget that the Delancys can hop, too.  
  
I guess I've long since given up on finding the why in all these situations. It's random. Nothing more than that. Really, did I expect that I was supposed to do something special in this time period? I don't think so. We are condemned to this existence, not quite now and not quite then. Oh well.  
  
So, after what I'd say was a half-mile of sprinting (I'll feel that in the morning) we stopped and just walked in silence. Walked until we came across the Manhattan LH, we left Bit there. Then Ink went his separate way to Brooklyn, leaving me and Coffee to make our way to Queens.  
  
Not five minutes passed after Ink had left us and he'd put his arm around my shoulder. It was late, and I didn't feel the need to push him away. Was it just lunchtime when we'd left? It had to be ten o-clock by now. Time flies when you're in another century, don't it?  
  
We walked in silence. After a while had passed, he leaned his head down in front of mine and kissed me softly. I didn't protest at all. When he pulled away, we just looked deep into each other's eyes, searching for a response to what had happened.  
  
"Why'd you do that?" I asked, finally coming to the realization. I said it surprisingly calmly for myself. Now, the more I thought of it, the more I just wanted to get away. So I did.  
  
I didn't wait for his response, just quickly slipped out from under his arm and ran. Didn't know where I was going. Didn't know where I was. Just pounded the pavement for a long time. I don't know if he'd followed me, because even if he had, I lost him after a while.  
  
Just ran, sorting through all the junk that had happened these last few weeks. You'd think I would be a bit happier, with the fact that before that day I'd flown off, I had wanted something to happen to me so badly, and now that it had, I couldn't handle it. So run.  
  
Run right into a moving, living, breathing wall, that is. Oh shit. This could be bad.  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
Yay, a cliff-hanger. Let's all do the wave. OK, one, two, three. You all get an F for poor group participation. 23 chapters. Never thought it would come this far. And I still got a bunch more I need to do. Oh, and Baby, there, you got mine and Coffee's kiss. Happy? Well, shout-outs and I'll be off.  
  
Race- Oh, I know I know I'm laughing inside. But I'm still denying it outside. And really, maybe it's just that you're yelling COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE! At the top of your lungs?  
  
Imaginelet- Yup, broke his nose in the past only to find out he's in the future, too. The plot thickens.  
  
Depends Soloman- Most of the characters are people I know. I think, at least. Grounded for a C? That's harsh. 


	24. OK, I'll go with u now

Chapter 24:  
  
"Owwww," I groaned, getting up from where I had landed. I'd run into somebody. Not a squishy wall as I had originally assumed. Fortunately this wasn't a hit and run.  
  
"Is you ok?" the un-named guy asked. I looked up at him, deciding if I should accept his help to stand up or stand and run. He seemed nice enough.  
  
"Um, I-I," I stuttered. I know this guy. Don't know where from, but I know him. Well. "I'm-uh- sorry."  
  
"Tis fine," he said with this melodious accent that I couldn't place. "I don't mind runnin' inta pretty girls on dank, dirty streets."  
  
"I-I should be goin' back to my LH now. It's after curfew." What kind of newsboy LH has a curfew? I wasn't going to trust this guy, I couldn't tell how old he was. Young, I could tell that much, but that's all. The way he said that last sentence didn't freak me out, it's the fact that it didn't that scares me.  
  
"Well, I couldn't let you go wonderin' around the streets of Queens all by yourself," he started. Great, he's gonna offer to walk me home. "And I wouldn't be wonderin' with her." Ok, that sounds odd. He glanced around, sort of nervous like.  
  
"I really, really should get goin'," I choked out after a cecond.  
  
"What? Are you scared of me?" he inquired.  
  
"No, it's just I paid for the week and they may suspend me if I's late." That worked for me.  
  
"Well, I can't let ya go back to that lodging house you speak of now."  
  
"And why is that?" Now I was getting a bit scared.  
  
"I know where it is. Some of the most dangerous streets in the city are that way. I'd suggest you go spend the night at some other place. I'm offerin'."  
  
"Um, well, I don't know. . ." I was cut off mid sentence.  
  
"Hello Mandy," the voice from behind me said. How the hell does he know my name?  
  
"Ok, we can go to your place." He grabbed my hand and we took off in the opposite direction.  
  
Something tells me this may not be the smartest thing to do. But something else tells me I can trust this guy, even though I don't 'know' him, per say. Who is he?  
  
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Yes, yes, yes. Short chapter. Very short. FF.net has been screwing up royaly and I posted in both of my main stories (this one and My Story) but they haven't showed up on the site yet. This sucks. Ta for now.  
  
Klover- Thanks for reviewing  
  
Cheesecake- I know who u are, I know who u are! *laughs* sorry, had to add that. Thanks. 


	25. Third Person POV is never a good thing

Chapter 25:  
  
"What the hell do you mean!?" Baby yelled at Coffee, "She ran off! How the hell could you have let her run off? Why did she run off? What did you do!"  
  
The rest of the people at Tibby's had turned to stare at this raging girl. Baby had been yelling about Mandy's disappearance for the last five minutes. She'd run off from Coffee and nobody had seen her since.  
  
"Listen," Coffee said in a feeble attempt at getting one word in edge-wise, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know she would. . ." Cut off.  
  
"You didn't know she'd run from what? Huh? Let's have it. What did you do to cause Mandy to run out into the streets of Queens, an area she DOES NOT KNOW, and especially when she knows there's some time-hoppin' freak gangster out to get her!?" Baby was getting winded, but that didn't mean that she'd quit just yet. "And why didn't you follow her?" She stopped for a while, waiting for a response. "You can answer me now."  
  
"Well, I-I kissed her." Dumb stares earned for this one. Well, dumb stares all around, save for Ink.  
  
"You did WHAT?!?!" he bellowed. Who'd of thought such a little guy would be so loud?  
  
"It doesn't matter," Baby jumped in, putting a stop to the fight that surely would have started. "What matters now is that we find her."  
  
Ink and Coffee stared each other down, hard, but agreed in the end. They all made there way to the door. Oscar was walking by. Alone.  
  
"Hey Oscar," Ink said in that tone of voice people use to start a fight, "you seen Mandy?"  
  
"Saw her last night. Tried catching her, but she was with this other guy."  
  
"Other. . ." Ink was kind of thrown off by this. All he could think was, 'She's been stringin' along another one?' Coffee's reaction was very much the same. "Hey, why you's givin' is the info. So easily?"  
  
"I don't know. I like to watch you boys squirm?" Oscar said, then soon after regretted it. Without the rest of his gang, he's nothing. Ink and Coffee were on him in two seconds flat.  
  
The fight lasted about ten minutes, broken up by the bulls. They were going to take the three of them into custody, but Ink slipped out of the officer's arms and ran down the street, a lot faster than any New York police man ever could run. Two blocks and he was home free.  
  
"Now, where to go?" He asked himself, already on his way to Queens. Then the thought hit him. What if she don't want to be found? Another struck him. What if she went back to her time? "I need Baby."  
  
He turned and headed back in the direction of Tibby's. Three stories up, watching him, was Mandy. She would have yelled, but something wouldn't allow her to. Might it have been the gag in her mouth?  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
Woo, yay for shorties. Nuffin' to say, so, shout outs!  
  
Race- Sorry, too lazey to type your full name. Or copy and paste. Or any of that. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Seraph- Thank you for reviewing. I think that Mandy just may drop into the scenery for a few shorty chapters. I guess you could call that disappearing, sort of. 


	26. A Bit of a change

Chapter 26: Bit's POV  
  
"So you're saying she ran off?" I ask. Boidie doesn't seem too concerned. She has absolutely no idea what trouble she could be in. I do. A little, at least.  
  
"Yeah, exactly," Baby said. She was worried. I could tell. She's her best friend, why wouldn't she be?  
  
"Baby!" Ink's voice comes from the door of the dinner. We all turn to him.  
  
"Didn't you just leave?" Baby questions as he continues quickly to where we're sitting.  
  
"Yeah," he says, "But then I realized, I can't hop on my own. I need you or Tuck or somebody, just in case."  
  
"We'll go," Baby says in a commanding voice, grabbing the unsuspecting Coffee and me, and I in turn grab Boidie. "We should go get Tuck first."  
  
"I think she's still out selling," Coffee adds in. We don't know where she sells. "We'll have to go without her."  
  
"Fine, but can we just go an' start the search?" Ink says irritably. Gawd, this is an odd thing unfolding here and now. Uh, and then, too. Not only is there this way complicated thing with Mandy/Ink/Coffee, but there's the whole time hop thing going on.  
  
We leave and head for Queens, last place she was seen. I think. I hope. I don't like not being informed about all this. Oh well, I'm guessing right now wouldn't be the best time to ask.  
  
"Hey guys, where're ya all goin'?" Tuck asks, coming around a corner just behind us.  
  
"Oh, Mandy ran off and we gotta go find her, that's all," Baby answers. We go off walking again and she fills in the details of the latest tragedy to Tuck.  
  
"You think she's just doing this for attention?" Boidie asks. We've fallen behind the main part of the group, their conversation isn't too interesting.  
  
"I dunno. We don't know her well, remember that. And she's in this weird trouble that I don't think you could ever understand." Boidie just stairs at me with this blank look on her face.  
  
"So you're taking her side?" she asks. "I should have known you to do this. Take the side of the little brood that shows up out of no where. What's her trouble, is she pregnant?"  
  
"No, Boidie, it's nothing like that. You wouldn't understand. I don't think, at least. You only don't like her because your boyfriend does." I hope that made sense. This could be why people keep thinking I'm an idiot. I don't think what I'm saying through.  
  
"You'd feel the same if she was actively after your little Blink," she says.  
  
"I probably would, but she's not and I know more than you about the situation, which isn't much, and it's easier for me to understand."  
  
"Stop sounding so smart about stuff. It doesn't seem you."  
  
The scenery around me starts to shift and change a little bit. The change makes me nauseous. Just like it did the first time. The second time I hadn't noticed until I tripped over my heel and fell. Didn't have much of a chance to realize it. Nobody else seemed to have noticed yet.  
  
"Guys," I say, feeling even more sick, "I think we're hopping." They all turn to look at me and then look around. As suddenly as it had blurred, the world pops back into total clarity, this time in the future.  
  
"Aw, great!" Ink says, extremely ticked off about it. "What are the chances we're gonna find her in this time period?"  
  
"I don't know, but this is definitely a more dangerous year than 1900," Tuck adds to the conversation.  
  
"Wait, WHAT is going on here?!" Boidie screams. She's only this loud when she's ticked about one thing or another. "What are all of you talking about, more dangerouse this year than 1900? It is 1900!" She looks at the ground, obviously making a note that it's a different pavement, then shouts, "WHAT AM I WEARING!"  
  
She was in one of those funny looking blouses without sleeves and trousers that were blue and flared out at the bottoms. Her shoes were dark blue lace up things.  
  
"A tank top, blue jeans, and tennis shoes," Tuck answers easily. "They're common clothes at this point in time." She stops and looks at Boidie for a second, then realizes she that Boidie wants a better explanation. "It's the year 2004 and that's all I intend on saying at the moment."  
  
"So you are saying that this is 104 years after what it was five minutes ago?" She stares at everybody. "Okay, which one of you hit me over the head? I know that this can't be real, and that or drugs is the only other possibility."  
  
"Boidie, yes, it's confusing, but I thought that you may have taken this a bit better," Baby says. "I guess I was wrong."  
  
"Boidie, I'm gonna be honest with you. You're dreaming right now, so the best thing to do would be to just go with it," I say in an attempt to calm the raging person down.  
  
"Okay, see, I knew I was not awake," she sticks her tongue out at the rest of the 'dream people'. "So why are we standing around? Let's go find dream- girl, I wanna wake up as soon as possible."  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
This chapter was almost normal length! YAY! This makes me very happy. I'm sorry for my terrible lack of chapter and all that junk. I'm thinking I might change the title or summary. Any suggestions? I'll do shout out now.  
  
Imaginelet- I try with the fast updates, I really do. But sometimes I don't got time/inspiration and with the summer and lack of Ink and Coffee in my life, my mind is mush. I apologize.  
  
As for others, I'm really missing getting reviews. Is my story going down- hill? I need a boost from people reviewing and inflating me ego, it makes me feel happy and wanted. Please, please, please review. I'm dieing here. 


	27. Some explanation

Chapter 27: POV of Mandy  
  
Going with Taylor was probably the smartest thing I did last night. On the other hand, no matter that I did the smart thing it didn't help. I've said it before and I'll say it again, that gang is a lot faster than they look.  
  
I'm sitting here, in this dingy apartment in an uncomfortable wooden chair, bound and gagged. I'm asking myself over and over: "How the hell did I get here?" Truth be told, I can't barely remember anything. My memory is so broken. I can't remember even a consecutive twenty-minute timeframe.  
  
Kiss, I remember a kiss, and I remember running. Then there was Taylor, I ran into him. Then we were running together. Then someone hit me over the head with something and I go blank. Who hit me? Can't have been Taylor, he's tied up on the other side of the room.  
  
Grrr, I don't like not knowing.  
  
"Mandy?" Taylor said from the other side of the room. I responded with a grunt. "You conscious?" Another grunt. "Okay, just wondering."  
  
His accent, his accent's gone. That means. . .  
  
"I- I think I should explain something to you," he said. He knows something, something about the time travel thing.  
  
"You talking about the fact that the year is currently 2004 and not 1900?" I ask and look over at him. He responds with a blank stare. "Yeah, I know about that already. Been hopping for a little over a month. . ."  
  
"What?" he asks after I trail off.  
  
"What's today?" I ask.  
  
"July 13, why?" he answers. I was right.  
  
"It's my birthday," I said with a sigh. "I hadn't even realized it was coming up. What with me being stuck in the past and junk. Haven't seen a calendar in months."  
  
"Well, happy birthday to you. How old are you now?" Wow, talk about lightening the mood.  
  
"Fourteen. Not that it matters any, chances of me getting to stay in my time for any real amount of time are slim to none."  
  
"So you're from now?" I nodded. "Personally, I'm from the past. I think I'm the one who started this mess. Not sure exactly what I did, but I was messing with some electrical cords and got shocked and found myself 104 years in the future. Been picking up people ever since."  
  
"So this is all you?" He nodded. "Wow, now we got this figured out. All the time we was thinking it was all Tuck's fault."  
  
"I know Tuck," he said grimly. Wouldn't have expected that reaction exactly.  
  
"You do?" I ask, fully aware that I really don't want to know this.  
  
"Yeah, she's my sis'."  
  
"So she's from the past? That would rea-" He cut me off.  
  
"No, she's not from either, per say." He paused waiting for my response. I said nothing, giving him the go-ahead to continue. "She's really my half sister. We have the same mother."  
  
"Oh, I see, you don't need to go into it."  
  
This has been a very informative experience. Now I just need to know exactly how I got here. Okay, think about this. Kiss, run, meet Taylor, run with Taylor, get knocked out. That's all I have.  
  
"Hey, Taylor, how did we get here?"  
  
"Your wonderful little friends knocked us out and dragged us up here," ___ said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, your little buddy," a voice came from behind me. I didn't recognize it.  
  
Our captor hit me hard over the head. My last conscious thought was, "When did Taylor tell me his name?" The answer is: He didn't.  
  
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________  
  
I am SOOOO sorry for the lack of update/ant signs of life from me. Truth is I've been lazey, but I'm sticking to my "I kidnapped myself" theory. I spent the last three days at the other me's house. She wouldn't let me leave. But I'm back and preparing to go to Disney World. I hope to write some there, so expect more than one chapter when I get back. I'll try to do another before I leave, but I refuse to make any promises.  
  
The 13th was my birthday. Two of my neighbors my brother and Baby showed up in my kitchen with cake. Baby moved on Wednesday so now I'm sad. I gotta go, thinking of doing another ff I'll call "The name's Brooke Lynn" Yeah, I know, it'll stink, but could get me out of a block. This fic isn't over, but getting close. A few more chapters. We'll se. . . Bye now! 


End file.
